2. Scope of the Assignment
2.1 Objective
The German Government is supporting reform processes in the Jordanian education sector through a Development Policy Loan (DPL) provided by KfW German Development Bank to the GoJ represented by the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (MoPIC). Based on defined triggers/indicators to be implemented by the MoE, the loan has been provided to the Ministry of Finance (MoF) as budget support. The reform process is accompanied by a political dialogue between the GoJ and the German Embassy and is supported technically and administratively by the German Financial Cooperation Programme Management Unit (PMU) which is integrated into the Development Coordination Unit of the Ministry of Education.
The DPL aims at supporting reforms in the MoE and related entities to improve Facility Management and Maintenance (FM/M) in Jordanian public schools. A Policy Matrix serves as the core document of the reforms to improve FM/M in Jordanian public schools. The Matrix has been jointly endorsed by the Ministers of Education, Planning and Finance.
These ToR refer to Trigger 3 of the DPL Policy Matrix and aim at providing support to a comprehensive textbook review with a focus on contents across-the-curriculum related to facility management/ maintenance (FM/M). Trigger #3 tracks the degree to which facility management issues (and the importance of students, teachers and communities taking active ownership of “their” school) have actually found their way into the curriculum, in order to unfold impact at the level of changed individual mindsets and behaviour patterns. It is expected that even the discussion of possible cross-curricular inclusion of maintenance and facility management could potentially generate an increased awareness regarding the importance of this topic.
In particular, it is the objective of the assignment to enable MoE’s Managing Directorate of Curricula and Textbooks to undertake the required in-depth assessment of textbooks (which should also include any supplementary material, such as, teachers’ guidelines/tools) by developing a methodology for such review, and by providing technical assistance (TA) to the Managing Directorate of Curricula and Textbooks throughout the assessment period. Further, the Consultant will provide ideas and suggestions, based on international best practice, on how to integrate FM/M issues in textbooks in an across-the-curriculum manner.
Overall, it will be important to closely collaborate with the staff of MoE’s Managing Directorate of Curricula and Textbooks to perform the assessment and to take ownership of the outcomes, and at the same time empower and capacitate them for performing similar work in the future. In particular, the completed assessment should be taken as a foundation for discussing methodological aspects to be reflected both in the textbooks and the underlying curriculum, which should take a holistic view towards the coverage of FM/M issues across-the-curriculum.
In recent years, Jordan has sought education reforms to switch from a content-driven curriculum to a competency-based one that focuses on improving students’ literacy and numeracy skills, and making content more relevant to students. Towards the end of 2020, as a response to the needs outlined in the DPL Matrix, MoE’s Managing Directorate of Curricula and Textbooks performed an initial survey on Management Concepts in the Curricula and Extra-Curricular Activities. The brief survey report includes recommendations and proposals on embedding the concepts of FM/M in textbooks and (extra-)curricular activities. It is expected that this survey report would be the starting point for the assessment of the curricula, eventually leading to a mapping tool allowing to show the contents across-the-curriculum.
2.2 Specific work
All activities will be implemented under the overall supervision of the Head of PMU. The Consultant is expected to provide support to MoE’s Managing Directorate of Curricula and Textbooks to undertake a comprehensive textbook review with a focus on contents across-the-curriculum related to FM/M, in particular:
-
to develop a methodology for an in-depth assessment of textbooks, taking into account recommendations and proposals contained in the initial survey undertaken by the Managing Directorate of Curricula and Textbooks;
-
on the basis of (i),
-
to closely collaborate and agree with the Managing Directorate of Curricula and Textbooks on timelines for implementing the proposed methodology;
-
to follow up on the work progress and to provide additional TA where requested;
-
to provide support in mapping key concepts related to FM/M in textbooks and enrichment materials against various subjects the different grades, taking into account the educational considerations of the respective subjects and the developmental considerations of students in the different grades and age groups;
-
on the basis of (ii), to outline follow-up activities (“next steps”) in a Road Map format, to be pursued during the remaining implementation period of the DPL (i.e. until the end of 2021), also giving an indication on activities during a possible extension period 2022-2023;
-
to identify and suggest areas for additional TA support through the PMU or external consultants according to identified gaps.
3. Methodology
The assignment will be conducted in Amman.
All activities will be implemented in close collaboration with project partners, particularly MoE’s Managing Directorate of Curricula and Textbooks, the Department of Planning, the National Centre for Curriculum Development (NCCD), the Queen Rania Foundation (QRF), the Development Coordination Unit (DCU) and other donor partners, and in coordination with the PMU.
4. Deliverables and Timeline
The Consultant will deliver (both in soft/editable and hard copies; in English and Arabic):
-
a detailed Methodology for an in-depth assessment of textbooks according to the requirements described in Sections 2.1 and 2.2 (i) of these ToR, and including an agreed-upon timeframe for implementation of the methodology through the Managing Directorate of Curricula and Textbooks;
-
a Mapping Tool allowing to show key concepts related to FM/M in textbooks and enrichment materials against various subjects the different grades, endorsed by the Managing Directorate of Curricula and Textbooks;
-
a Road Map showing follow-up activities deriving from the assessment (including any regulatory or policy amendment recommendations that may be required), covering the remaining period of DPL implementation and a possible extension phase, to be discussed and agreed upon in a final workshop with key stakeholders.
The deliverables and drafts will be submitted to the German Financial Cooperation Programme Management Unit (FC PMU). Drafts of all deliverables will be presented to KfW and then shared with stakeholders for commenting. These will then be considered by the Consultant for subsequent integration into final versions of the respective deliverables.
Timeline: The expected starting date of the assignment is mid June 2021.
A total of 40 working days is foreseen for the local expert over a period of 3 months, allowing for implementation time of the methodology by the Managing Directorate of Curricula and Textbooks, as specified below. The final starting date will need to be discussed and agreed upon with the PMU and the Consultant.