Vacancy title:
Consultancy

Jobs at:
Oxfam

Deadline of this Job:
1 July 2018

Duty Station:
Mtwara, Tanzania

JOB DETAILS:
Consultant-Research on Improving School infrastructure in Mtwara Region Background

The Education and Training Policy (2014), aims to improve the quality of education in the country, and intends to achieve this objective by creating an environment that enables (continued) leaving The quest to improve the quality of education is based on a wide-ranging evidence, which points to serious public concerns,po0r learning outcomes, and the dire state of the school learning environment. For instance, the policy notes that, the existing school infrastructure (buildings, water systems, access roads] “has deteriorated and is inadequate.“ Moreover, at the time of the policy adoption, the shortage of classrooms in primary schools was estimated at 49%, while shortage of desks was considered to be about 49.1%.

Evidence shows that the sub-national level situation — regions and districts — is not different, and that it is worse in some areas. For instance, Mtwara region had an overall literacy rate of 66% {in 2012] while in Mtwara district, the literacy rate stood at 62%. These figures were below the national average of 71.5%. In terms of infrastructure, recent media coverage indicates a clear shortage of classrooms. Reportedly, out of 6? primary schools registered in Mtwara district, 10 schools do not have enough classrooms. Rationale of the Research

The conception of quality education has implications on what the public supports, and possibly, how resources are allocated. A recent study suggests that, while dialogue around the notion of quality education in the country is common at the sub-national level, such as Mtwara district, stakeholders’ perspective, on quality, is confined to students’ ability to proceed to the next stage of education("passing"}, and that little attention is given to the learning outcomes “crisis.” Moreover, the study showed that stakeholders associated improvement in quality of education with inputs
- infrastructure such as classrooms, desks, and teaching materials. However, the extent to which these inputs influence learning and passing, is subject to debate.

While many factors may influence investment in education at the district level, particularly school infrastructure, certain factors matter more than others. This assignment is focused on understanding leading obstacles to the improvement of primary school infrastructure in Mtwara district. Objectives of the Research The main objective of this research is to examine obstacles to the improvement of primary school infrastructure in Mtwara district, and thus generate evidence which will enable active citizens to advocate for change.

Specific objectives

• To assess the nature and extent of the shortage of primary school infrastructure in Mtwara district.
• To determine the leading obstacles to improvement of such infrastructure, and recommend potential solutions.

Research Questions

• What is the nature and extent of the shortage of primary school infrastructure in Mtwara district?
• What are the leading obstacles to the improvement of such infrastructure? How does the funding mechanism shape the obstacles?
• What are the potential solutions?
  Methodology

The appointed consultant will be required to design and use a methodology that meets two criteria; [a] Participatory i.e. involves active citizens/animators in data Collection, validation and/or analysis lb) uses digital tools {for instance mobile phones) in data collection.

The use of digital technology will be discussed in detail with the project implementation team, once a consultant has been appointed. Expected Outputs

• Revised proposal (after incorporating Oxfam comments).
• Validation meeting report (summary of main comments and how they will be addressed].
• Final [main] report, fully referenced.
• Interview transcripts and audio-recordings are mandatory.

Qualifications

• Specialization and proven experience in relevant field of study, especially education.
• Fluency in English and Swahili
• Record of doing similar or related work i.e. publications, and reports.

Job application procedure
if you believe you qualify for the above post, please submit your CV, Proposed Budget (Tsh), Methodology, and 2 copies (reports/publications] of previous relevant work through our online portal at https://jobs.oxfam.org.uk You are advised to use advert reference number NT4559 and job title above. The closing date for applications is 1st July, 2018.