Project:

Improving the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Secondary Education Project (ISTEMSEP)

Executing Agency:

Ministry of Education and Science (MOES) of the Republic of Tajikistan

Implementing Agency:

Project Administration Group (PAG)

Places of Assignment:

Tajikistan

Contract No:

CS24

Source:

National

Category:

Individual Consultant

Position:

National Climate Change Education Specialist

Total Estimated Days:

24     person-months (fieldwork & intermittent)

period March 2025 to December 2028

1.   PROJECT BACKGROUND: The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tajikistan (MoES) is the Executing Agency of the Improving the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Secondary Education Project (ISTEMP), which is funded by the Asian Development Bank. The ISTEMP aims to promote equal access to quality secondary education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) from grades 5 to 11. The project proposes to modernize teaching, upgrade the learning environment, improve school management, introduce and integrate climate change education, and expand girls’ participation in STEM studies and women’s career paths towards high productivity sectors. The project will be implemented nationwide with 20 selected schools and selected institutions in charge of teachers’ development: Tajik State Pedagogical University (TSPU) and Dushanbe Pedagogical College (DPC).

Output 4 of the project will:

-       support integrating climate change-related topics, concepts, knowledge points, and good practices in the secondary education curricula, textbooks, and teaching and learning materials for the STEM subjects

-       train in-service teachers and teacher trainers on climate change knowledge and practices

-       develop climate change contents, material and modules for the pre-service STEM teacher education program and training teacher educators

-       survey students’ and teachers’ understanding of climate change and basic ideas of climate change adaptation actions

-       reconstruct and/or extend a representative school facility compliant with the disaster resilience requirements,

-       provide training on supervision of works to ensure compliance with disaster resilience requirements, and

-       build capacity for school facility users and maintenance staff on good practices for disaster-resilient responses.

2.         BASIC FUNCTION OF POSITION:  National Climate Change Education Specialist will assist the International Consultant in designing and developing school-based climate change programs and materials that accurately convey climate science, impacts, and mitigation strategies. Together with PAG, PSIF and international consultants will conduct workshops, seminars, and training sessions for teachers and students at the school levels. Moreover, the consultant will be responsible for coordination of the meetings with schools, universities, NGOs, and other organizations to expand the reach and impact of climate education programs.

3.      SCOPE OF WORK:  The specialist will have responsibility for working with and advising the EA and PAG specialists and staff at all levels on the development of Climate Change Education in target secondary schools, DPC and TSPU. S/he will be responsible for:

3.1.    together with International Consultant collaborating with relevant EA-assigned education specialists, PAG staff and PISF and DLP firms’ specialists to develop and implement a school-based climate change program leading to effective implementation of climate change learning at the school level including:

§  a suite of multi-level documentation (i.e., guides, action plans, assessment tools) in digital and hard forms appropriate to Tajikistan secondary schools;

§  a range of expected behaviours and achievable targets across key areas (i.e., school governance, instruction, assessment, laboratory designs, extracurricular activities, community outreach) to enable school leaders, teachers, and mentors to drive change at the school level;

§  assessment strategies to evaluate school climate change education capability and development; and

§  an implementation plan to pilot the climate change program to the selected schools, DPC and TSPU with regular monitoring and evaluation to ascertain the suitability and relevance of the program.

3.2.    assist international consultant to develop and facilitate in collaboration with the PISF team a continuous professional development (CPD) program for STEM teacher-educators, general upper secondary STEM subject teachers, and school principals focused on strengthening climate change education implementation (i.e., school-based climate change education program, skills-based education and assessment, lab safety, and technology in education);

3.3.    provide inputs on establishment of the sub-groups for Climate Change and maintain partnerships with educational institutions, governmental agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders to enhance the reach and impact of climate change education efforts;

3.4.    providing technical assistance to TSPU and its partner IHEI to develop a climate change education module for pre-service training;

3.5.    communicate effectively with diverse audiences, including students, teachers, policymakers (MoES staff), and the public, to promote climate literacy;

3.6.    provide inputs on creating interactive and engaging educational materials, such as videos, online modules, and hands-on activities, to enhance learning experiences;

3.7.    develop communication strategies, prepare and disseminate information materials to promote climate change education programs

3.8.    conduct regular research on best practices and innovative approaches in climate change education and stay updated on the latest developments in climate science and education methodologies.

3.9.    support Gender Team and ensuring the implementation of the Gender Action Plan as it relates to climate change education in the selected secondary schools.

3.10.    preparing reports, presentations, and publications to share the outcomes and impacts of climate change education initiatives in the targeted schools

4.       MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

-       university degree or Higher Degree in Environmental Science, Climate Change, Education, Public Policy, or related disciplines with experience in climate change incorporation into study programs is required;

-       at least 3 years of teaching experience in secondary-level climate change and/or science, including skills-based education and assessment;

-       experience in analyzing learner needs, defining objectives, designing activities, and choosing delivery methods, where systematically creating educational and training programs.

-       proficiency in gathering, analyzing, and interpreting education data to guide evidence-based curriculum and learning material development decisions;

-       strong English, Tajik and Russian language skills (spoken and written).

5.       EOI SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The interested candidates shall submit their EOIs online via ADB CMS (Consultant Management System) prior to the deadline set on 06 March 2025.