Preamble
These Terms of Reference (ToR) describe the
tasks of the Consultant[1] necessary
for the execution of the services. However, this list of tasks and activities
can by no means be considered as the complete and comprehensive description of the
Consultant’s duties.
It is rather the
Consultant’s responsibility to thoroughly study the ToR and the scope of
services. The Consultant should critically review the fields of action and
ideas outlined below and develop an appropriate proposal, including necessary
adjustments and modifications on the basis of own professional judgements and
experience in similar projects.
The Consultant
has to take into account the general situation in the country and in the
Project area and particularly the conditions and constraints related to
infrastructure, accessibility, transport, accommodation, administration and
security.
Above all, the
Consultant should keep in mind the obligation to follow the most efficient
approach, the need to strictly maintain the time schedule of the submission of
the deliverables and the scope of the proposed consultancy budget. It is
understood that the Consultant should perform all work necessary to fulfil the
objectives of the Project.
1.
General Background
1.1 Country background
Jordan is a
stable country in a troubled region. It is a small economy with no sizeable oil
or gas resources and a population of 10.2 million in 2020 (UNFPA data). This
represents a rapid increase from the 9.5 million according to the latest
national census 2015, mainly due to the influx of refugees from neighbouring
crisis-affected countries, particularly Iraq and Syria. The number of Syrian
refugees in Jordan is estimated at around 0.662 million registered as of July
2019, with the total number of Syrians (including non-refugees) standing at
1.266 million, according to the 2015 Population and Housing Census.
Jordan is
classified as an upper middle-income country, but with a widening gap in income
distribution. The real GDP growth increased modestly from 1.9% in 2018 to 2.2%
in 2019, and it was projected to grow further to 2.4% in 2020 amid the regional
instability. While the effects of the global pandemic are yet to be measured,
the positive impact of the falling oil prices and reduction of energy prices
might slightly offset its impact. In 2020, inflation remained under 1%, but it
is expected to rise to 2.5% in the coming years. While the Government of Jordan
(GoJ) has proven its commitment to enacting policies leading to macroeconomic
stability, the current global pandemic will likely lead to deterioration of the
macroeconomic situation in the country, causing the already high levels of
unemployment to rise and thus impeding on the projected growth of the economy.
Public
expenditures grew by 5.5% in 2019, as current expenditures increased by 4.6%,
while capital expenditures increased below expectations by only 13%. As a
result, the general budget deficit (after grants) reached 3.9% of GDP in 2019
compared to 2.4% in 2018. Public debt reached around JOD 30.1 billion by the
end of 2019, or 97% of GDP, compared to 94.4%t at the end of 2018.
Given the
population growth, the total number of households falling under the absolute
poverty line has actually increased. Moreover, while incidence of poverty is
higher in rural areas (16.8%) compared to urban areas (13.9%), there are in
fact vastly greater numbers of poor in urban areas (80%) compared to rural
areas (20%). This means significant regional disparities persist: the benefits
of growth have been concentrated mainly in the capital and a few large cities.
Jordan’s economic participation rates are among the lowest globally, with only
35-40% of the population above the age of 15 years economically active and one
of the lowest employment-to-population ratios. Merely 14% of women participate
in the labour force, in comparison to 65% of men.
Jordan is
currently facing difficult economic and social challenges. Growth rates have
declined, and unemployment rates are high. With the official unemployment rate
standing at 19% (2019), Jordan’s official youth unemployment rate hovers around
33% (22% for males and 40% for females), while 85% of Jordanian women (in all
age groups) are not participating in the labour force. The lack of economic
opportunities for youth, and regional inequalities within Jordan, are a major
threat to social cohesion. Combined with the high influx of refugees the
situation is even more challenging.
As in all
countries, the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) is significantly impacting on
the education system. On 14 March 2020, the GoJ announced that all Ministries,
all schools, kindergartens and universities (private and public) were closed on
15 March 2020, involving 2.37 million learners. Schools only re-opened for
short periods and have remained fully closed as from mid-September 2020. As of
February 2021, the government has partially reopened schools (only grades: 1,
2, 3 and 12) and there are plans for a full reopening of schools for all grades
depending on the health situation and the number of reported Coronavirus cases.
Interruptions to education particularly affected the most vulnerable, including
weaker students and students in the camps who hardly have any access to
electronic learning alternatives through the Darsak learning platform established by MoE. Generally, access to Darsak outside the urban centres is
challenging and not affordable to poorer households who also do not own the
necessary hardware such as tablets or smartphones.
1.2 Background on the education
sector
The GoJ has
reaffirmed its commitment to progress in the education sector in three key
policy documents: the Jordan Response
Plan (JRP) 2018-2020, the Education
Strategic Plan 2018-2022 (ESP) and the MoE programme Impact of Syria Crisis on Education in Jordan and Accelerating Access
to Quality Formal Education for Syrian Refugee Children (“Accelerating
Access Initiative [AAI])” 2016-19 (extended until the end of 2020). A second
phase of the AAI has been launched by MoE in November 2020 and specifically
includes activities to improve the overall safety of schools.
The JRP lays out
the development and humanitarian response to the Syrian crisis, with Education
being the largest sector of the JRP. It is currently under revision for its
implementation even beyond 2020. The AAI remains one of the Government’s main
guiding strategy documents with key relevance also for ensuring safe school
environments conducive to quality teaching and learning. Under its second
phase, AAI is now focussing on (i) institutionalising the Ma’an Safe Learning Environment Programme; (ii) activating a Safe School Council with community
participation; (iii) implementing the Tarbiyah
programme, a training programme to equip teachers with skills and attitudes for
non-violent alternatives to class management and the use of positive
disciplinary and instructional skills; and the implementation the Family-School Partnership Programme, a
participatory and inquiry-based parent education programme.
In March 2018,
MoE launched the Education Strategic Plan
(ESP) 2018-2022, which is tightly linked to the Human Resource Development Strategy (HRD) 2016-2025. The ESP works
towards the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in
particular SDG 4 (inclusive, equitable and quality education). Being the key
policy document for the entire education sector, the ESP 2018-2022 includes a
comprehensive set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). This represents a major
achievement not only in terms of effective policy development and strategic
planning, but also echoes MoE’s commitment to thorough monitoring including the
assessment of quality education delivery.
[1] Throughout the ToR, the term “Consultant“ can
refer to a single consultant or a team of two consultants (preferred). In the
case of two consultants, the team leader should be an international expert,
according to the expertise further described in Section 5 of the ToR.