International Consultant at the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of every child. UNICEF has spent 70 years working to improve the lives of children and their families. Defending children's rights throughout their lives requires a global presence, aiming to produce results and understand their effects. UNICEF believes all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential - to the benefit of a better world.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: International Consultant - Analysis of MICS Education Data on Out of School children

Job Number: 514893
Location: Nigeria
Work Type: Consultancy

Purpose of Assignment

• The objective of this consultancy service is to support further analysis of the latest education data from various data sources including MICS and Population (Census) to provide evidence on the status of key education indicators and in particular progress made in reducing the number of out-of-school children Nationally and disparities that exist between States.
• Reporting to the UNICEF Education Specialist(M&E), the consultant will:
  • Design a sound methodological approach for estimating the absolute number of Out-of-School Children based on UNESCO Institute for Statistics Out-of-school dimensions for both primary and secondary education levels and per State and gender using recent MICS data and realistic projected population data in consultation with the National Bureau of Statistics of Federal Republic of Nigeria and Federal Ministry of Education;
  • Conduct trends analysis of Education related MICS data and produce Out-of-School Children profile for Nigeria and all the States and FCT,
  • Propose relevant policy recommendations to inform future education programme priorities both at State and federal levels.

Background
UNICEF Nigeria is implementing a new (2018-2022) country programme whose key priority is to support the reduction in the large number of Out-of-School Children in target states mainly in northern Nigeria. With a total of 10.5 million children out of school, Nigeria accounts for almost one in five of all school age children living in extreme educational poverty worldwide. Thus, the SDG 4 related targets cannot be achieved globally unless a significant progress is made in reducing the burden of out of school children in Nigeria.

Statistically, sound and internationally comparable data are essential for developing evidence-based policies and programmes, as well as for monitoring countries' progress toward national goals and global commitments including the SDG. Since 1995, UNICEF has supported the implementation of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), assisting countries in generating high quality data on the situation of children and women. Nigeria has so far three data points on MICS which constitute a useful data source of data to complement administrative data collected through Education Management Information System(EMIS), used for situation analysis, policy decisions and programme interventions, and for influencing the public opinion about the situation of children and women. Indeed, MICS surveys carried out by government organizations, with the support and technical assistance of UNICEF, enable countries to produce statistically sound and internationally comparable estimates of a range of indicators in the areas of health, education, child protection, water and sanitation and HIV and AIDS.

In addition to the standard MICS reports produced in collaboration with the government, the rich dataset is always available for further in-depth thematic analysis to inform programmatic decisions and situation analysis. UNICEF Nigeria country office is therefore seeking the support of an experienced data analyst to carryout in-depth analysis of the MICS datasets and the official projected population data to estimate the number of out of school children in the country disaggregated by state and other levels of disaggregation for each of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics Out-of-School dimensions. The analysis will be done through a participatory process involving the federal ministry of education and the national bureau of statistics to ensure ownership of the final product as well as facilitate capacity building of the government partners on the statistical methods used to estimate out of school children population.

Scope /Focus of the Assignment

• The assignment will entail the consultant effectively supporting a trends analysis of MICS education data, develop in collaboration with National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of Federal Republic of Nigeria realistic projected population estimates to be used as reference for the estimates of Out-of-School Children in Nigeria, estimate the number of out-of-school children per State, gender and age, develop Out-of-School profile and policy recommendations and implications for current and future education programmes design and or implementation.
• Under the management supervision of Basic Education Chief and technical oversight of the Education Specialist M&E, the incumbent shall carry out the following major tasks in fulfilling the expectations of this post.

Work Schedule
This contract is to run for 40 working days between June and August 2018:

• Trends analysis of MICS education data and production of Out-of-School profile (national and 6 geopolitical zones)
• Working closing with National Bureau of Statistics of Federal Republic of Nigeria to develop a technically sound methodological approach for estimating the absolute number of out-of-school children based on the UNESCO Institute of Education out of school children dimensions for both primary and secondary education levels using recent MICS data and the official projected population data
• Estimate the number of out-of-school children for primary and secondary education levels, wealth quintile, state and gender.
• Â Develop relevant policy recommendations to inform current and future design and or implementation of education programmes at State and federal levels

Deliverables

• Trends analysis of Education related MICS data and Out-of-School Children profile finalized
• Policy recommendation developed to inform current and future education programme priorities both at State and federal levels
• A document describing the methodological approach agreed with the federal ministry of education and nation bureau of statistics for estimating the absolute number of out-of-school children based on UNESCO Institute for Statistics Out-of-School dimensions.
• Statistical profile (national and 6 geological zones) indicating estimated number of out-of-school children disaggregated by gender and wealth quintiles
• Mission report.

Qualifications or Specialized Knowledge/Experience Required

• At least a Master's Degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, Demography, Statistics, Epidemiology, or other related technical field with significant measurement or analysis component is required.
• At least 5 years' experience in the coordination and/or management of quantitative household surveys.
• Expertise in statistical analyses (familiarity with data processing and data analysis software, SPSS highly desirable);
• Experience in managing and conducting analysis and interpret large complex data sets to uncover trends or patterns in order to locate and define new process improvement opportunities.
• Experience in survey report writing;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
• Ability and willingness to travel to Nigeria.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious and effective relationships with national partners;
• Demonstrated leadership, managerial and supervisory ability.
• Fluency in English language and writing skills.

Application Closing Date
8th August, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
• UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.
• 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.