Consultant
UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN’S FUND
School Infrastructure Development Advisor (Consultant)
UNICEF/MLW/2014/0131
DUTY STATION:UNICEF Lilongwe, Malawi
Level:L4 (Consultant)
Duration: 9 months
Title:School Infrastructure Development Advisor (Consultant)
PURPOSE OF POST:
The key objective of the consultancy is to develop norms/standards and guidelines for school infrastructure and educational facilities development in Malawi.
Specific objectives are:
i) Bottleneck and capacity gap analysis of school infrastructure development and delivery;
ii) Review specifications and best practices for school infrastructure development (global and national);
iii) Review policies, principles and procedures towards school infrastructure development in the context of the School Improvement Programme (SIP);
iv) Develop costed prototype school plans and school grounds, serving as school typologies that adhere to approved specifications for school infrastructure development in Malawi ;
v) Develop a management arrangement and M&E for school infrastructure development and delivery
REPORTS TO:
Chief of Section, BEYD UNICEF Malawi and the
Director Planning, MoEST
Main Duties/Responsibilities:
Stage 1- Analyze and diagnose the current system (-s) of school infrastructure development in Malawi: Review historical background to education infrastructure management unit; Carry out a system analysis to bottlenecks of school development in Malawi; Review best practices on school policy, strategy, planning, development, delivery systems worldwide
Stage 2- Research & develop specifications for school infrastructure and educational facilities: Review building codes, specifications of school in Malawi; Review global best practices on specifications for schools; Generate outline and draft norms, standards, and guidelines on school development; Review capacities of national construction industry and procurement bottlenecks for school typologies (primary/secondary cycles)
Stage 3- Research & analyse policy and strategic approaches to school infrastructure development. Outline approaches tailored to context of the School Improvement Program (SIP):Research school planning policies/strategies in Africa/developing contexts; Review best practices and outline innovative approaches to quality school planning & improvement tailored to Malawi;
Stage 4- Generate concepts, brief, and designs as a basis for school prototypes (primary/secondary) - including cost estimations and bills of quantities - along the following pre-conditions and characteristics;
For Classrooms: concepts that take into account:
Programmatic requirements; space allocation; Physical planning and design; environmental conservation; public services; safety; and climatic comfort; operation & maintenance: Functionality, adaptability, and inclusiveness: pedagogical methods; classroom technologies classroom; Landscaping and drainage
For Teachers’ Houses: housing that takes into account:
Privacy, flexibility, functionality, and program in layout & organization; with minimum program of 2-bedrooms, living, kitchen, storage, veranda, and pit-latrine/flush toilet – and taking into account both urban and rural settings
WASH Facilities: concept design need to have (min.) following attributes: Latrines with concrete sink with water + soap for hand-washing, Girls/female teacher toilets – need dedicated washroom with water/provision to hang clothes and small side top. Latrines to be accessible taking into account Universal Design standards;
Day-light access and ventilation; latrines should provide good privacy; toilets and water points to be lockable/secured;
Teacher Resource Center/Library/Storage/Head Teacher Office: draft concepts and sketch-designs to have the following (min) attributes: Proper seating arrangement for individual reading or small group; Natural daylight access and ventilation but avoiding glare/reflection and direct sunlight that can affect books.
Play/Sports/School Grounds & Landscaping: draft concepts, forming a basis for play/sports/school ground development, cost estimates and bills of quantities: Site layout balances privacy of users and community; integrate agro-forestry principles with multiple opportunities for learning; safety, accessibility: assembly, maintenance and repair; zoning for age-groups
School Facilities which are specific for primary and secondary schools; Libraries, School Labs for sciences (chemistry, biology, physics), ICT Rooms, etc. Taking into account, natural day-light access, ventilation, safety, health, and functionality
Stage 5- Take in account child friendly principles & guidelines and environmental, contextualaspects and relevant approaches to education in emergencies and integrate these in the study
Stage 6- Appraise modalities for management, monitoring and implementation for ongoing decentralization of the school infrastructure development process and prepare a draft (outline, framework, work plan and program) in the context of the school improvement program (SIP)
QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES:
Education: The candidate is to have these requirements:
# At least an MSc in Architecture/Architectural
Engineering/Building Engineering, PhD in Architecture
/Architectural- or Building Engineering, preferable.
Work Experience:
# 5 years of experience in school design and
infrastructure projects with a focus on architectural
design, building construction and costs in (sub-)tropical
setting and/or developing context;
# Be familiar with graphic and architectural design apps
(Photoshop, Sketch-up, Archicad, etc.)
Works Arrangement: Office based with frequent travel for meetings and data collection in or outside Lilongwe.
Duties & Tasks / Deliverables
a) Inception Reportand Consultation Workshop to MOEST and UNICEF and other relevant stakeholders/partners. The report to include the following information: Inception report on strategy, methodology, context, scope of the study, system analysis, EIMU, and diagnosis on bottlenecks in Malawi, and best practices on school planning, design, and infrastructural development systems & programs (global and national);
b) DraftReportandPresentation to MOEST, UNICEF, and other relevant stakeholders/partners. The report to include the following information:A draft report on review of building codes, specifications and technical notes, and best practices as well as an outline, draft norms, standards & guidelines for school development in Malawi; Review of school planning policies and strategies, best practices, and outline of approaches to school planning and school improvement the context of the school improvement programme (SIP)
c) Final Reportand Presentation to MOEST, UNICEF, and other relevant stakeholders/partners with the following deliverables: Architecturalconcepts, functional programs, prototype school plans, school ground plans and educational facility plans, including detailed cost estimations and bills of quantities with an introductory report. Appraisal and outline of arrangement for management, monitoring & evaluation, and delivery for decentralization of a school development process tailored to the context of the SIP.
The applications shall be evaluated based on following criteria:
Technical & Financial Criteria
- Overall responsiveness to TOR requirements: 15
- Experience and qualifications: 55
- Financial Criteria (Monthly Rate)30
How to apply:
Qualified candidates are requested to submit a cover letter, performance evaluation report (if applicable), CV and Personal History Form (P-11 form) to be downloaded from the websitehttp://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_53129.html), a financial proposal (including all eligible fees, transportations and DSA for desktop research, data collection, and fieldwork, communication, presentation costs)on or before 27 October 2014 via e-mail address: hrmalawi@unicef.org
NOTE:
· UNICEF is committed to gender equality in its mandate and its staff. Well qualified candidates, particularly females are strongly encouraged to apply.
- Only shortlisted applicants will be acknowledged.
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