Roma Education Fund (REF) is looking for two Strategic Regional Policy Analysis Consultants, or a Consultant Team (Consultants) to conduct and design regional policy analysis in seven countries of the Western Balkans and Turkey.

This is a short-term consultancy engagement in the framework of the REF regional project “EU Regional Action for Roma Education: Increased Education Opportunities for Roma Students in Western Balkans and Turkey”, funded by European Union. The Consultants, or the Consultant Team, should create two regional policy analysis reports with specific recommendations for the two main areas:

• Key challenges and policy framework of early childhood education and primary education of Roma children with focus on access to education, quality of education and segregation, The analysis shall also incorporate gender perspective and draw recommendation accordingly.  specific to the domain of Early Childhood Development (ECD) and Primary Education (PED) and desegregation from policy and national strategy perspective following what specific gender-sensitive measures need to be developed to promote early childhood development and desegregation of Roma children.
• A report focused on secondary and tertiary educational level policy analysis and analysis of school success and subsequent employment of Roma youth. The report should include key challenges and bottlenecks and especially detected good practices and recommendations for access to quality education and employability of Roma youth. Also, the report should pay attention to cross cutting issues of gender mainstreaming.

Background 

The overall objective of the project “EU Regional Action for Education: Increased education opportunities for Roma students in Western Balkans and Turkey“ is to contribute to social cohesion through increased education attainment and improved employability of marginalized Roma children and youth, as well as to foster cross-country and regional dialogue and knowledge transfer. The specific objectives of the Regional Action are:

• Promote equal participation in quality education for Roma children and youth at all educational levels and to improve educational outcomes (including preventing school drop-out);
• Improve Roma employability, with a particular focus on gender-sensitive measures in employment and smooth transition between end of studies to labour market;
• Promote desegregation and systemic durable change for Roma in the education sector by producing a change of attitude towards Roma and non-Roma communities; by strengthening the capacities of relevant central and local institutions though regional exchange of experiences and by using Roma role models as actors of change.

Project is funded by European Union and implemented in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo[1], Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia[2] and Turkey.

Consultancy aim, objectives, tasks and activities: 

The aim is to address the need for regional and in-country collaboration and shared learning to effectively advance Roma education policy development and implementation, by providing a twofold country-specific and regional policy analysis on Roma education policies in the Western Balkans and Turkey. The first focused on Roma early childhood and primary education and desegregation, and the second, on the secondary and tertiary education and employability of Roma youth.

The objective is to research and report on evidence from seven countries on the level of quality of policies related to the Roma education, as well as on the factors that facilitate and block the effective development and implementation of these policies i.e. their specific objectives. Besides country specific focus, both analysis (papers) need to underline common themes and trends of Roma education policies in the region, identifying enablers and bottlenecks to policy implementation, learning from successful practices, and providing recommendations for strengthening policy development and implementation. The two papers should include specific and doable strategic and programmatic (short-mid-long term) recommendations beyond 2020 clearly showing the objectives as well as the roles of key stakeholders and Roma community and CSO. These should be designed based on evidence and corresponding findings and conclusions and aimed at enabling of strengthening of both, national and regional policies as well as the current development and assistance efforts.

Consultants under the direct supervision and guidance of the Project staff is expected to undertake the following tasks and activities:

• Review relevant REF and other documents, including the project document on the requirements for the detail plan of action for the initial phase of strategic regional policy review;
• Conduct interviews and surveys with the respective stakeholders in the project countries and provide technical and policy advice to the project team which will be incorporated in the final Regional Policy Analysis report;
• Liaise and conduct online interviews with REF project Implementing Partner Organizations (IPO) and wherever possible international organizations present in Western Balkans and Turkey to assess the current programmatic efforts on Roma children and youth education and employment stipulated by their respective government administration.

Early Childhood Development and Primary Education related:

• Review the existing national policies for Roma and non-Roma on early childhood education, primary education, and desegregation in Western Balkans and Turkey and propose modalities which will further enhance position of Roma children with specific emphasis on desegregation and ECD program development;
• Draft and provide final country-based specific regional policy report with proposed recommendations for Roma early childhood education, primary education and desegregation.

Secondary and tertiary educational levels related:

• Review the existing national policies for Roma and non-Roma on secondary and tertiary school success and subsequent employment of Roma youth in Western Balkans and Turkey following examples of good practice and recommendations on access to quality education and employability of Roma youth;
• Draft and provide final country-based specific regional policy report with proposed recommendations for secondary and tertiary school success and subsequent employment of Roma in project countries.

Methodology:  

The application should include a short overview of the methodology for research-analysis towards producing the two separate regional policy documents/reports (country specific). If selected the consultant-s should prepare a fully-fledged research and policy analysis methodology once the contracting and the initial documents review and consultations with the REF team are done. The methodology should be placed in Inception Report (a detailed plan of work) and should include details related to the research instruments to be used i.e. on the review and policy analysis methods, such as documents review, online interviews, online focus groups, triangulation of data and information, of findings, etc. It should also include an adequate choice of other methods such as SWOT analysis, stakeholders analysis, Policy Impact Assessment, etc.; The plan should also ensure all the findings will be evidence based, all the conclusions based on the generated findings (data and information), and in turn all recommendations on the formed conclusions.

Deliverables:  

Based on the research and consultations with the project staff and implementing partner organizations in the Western Balkans and Turkey. Consultants shall prepare two separate Final Reports i.e. regional policy documents/reports (country specific):

• One regional policy analysis document on early childhood and primary education and desegregation in Western Balkans and Turkey with strategic and constructive recommendations beyond 2020.
• Inception Report on policy analysis for secondary and tertiary school education for Roma youth in the Western Balkans and Turkey.
• Before the Inception Report is finalized, a draft report should be sent to REF for review. The report should be drafted after initial documents review and briefing with the REF Team. It should include the analysis purpose, objectives, questions, methodology and instruments, and other elements of the analysis/research plan such as proposed interlocutors and timeline.
• After de-briefing session with the REF team on the so far results of the analysis/research, produce a Draft Final Report on regional policy analysis document with proposed recommendations for secondary and tertiary school success and subsequent employment with strategic and constructive recommendations beyond 2020.
• Finalized report upon receiving REF comments to the draft report.
• Documents must be prepared and delivered in English language, New Times Roman 12, double-spacing (or 1,5). The length of the main body of each of the two reports should not exceed 50 pages.
• Each Final Report should include executive summary, covering for all key findings, conclusions and recommendation and should not exceed 5 pages. The quality of the report’s structure and substance should comply with the standards related to public policy analysis documents.
• All further details and timeline to be determined and agreed within the Inception Report.

Required Education and Experience

• University degree or higher in social sciences or other relevant discipline supplemented by a formal training or studies in project management, research and policy, national minorities affairs;
• Previous experience in conducting policy analyses (at least five years), preferably in working on Roma inclusion, monitoring and evaluation;
• Previous experience in working with Roma and/or Roma CSOs.

Skills required

• In-depth knowledge and understanding of the inclusion policy context in the project’s countries;
• Familiarity with reporting and methodologies in the specific area of intervention i.e. education and employment (of Roma);
• Ability to communicate ideas in a manner conducive to their practical application;
• Excellent organizational, analytical, communication and interpersonal skills.

Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Fluency in any of the languages spoken in the target countries is an advantage.

Organizational Values

In order to develop and deliver education programs that provide quality, inclusive education for Roma children and youth, we believe in five core values which mirror the work, actions and ideals of REF as an organization and its culture:

• Tenacity; Integrity; Justice; Accountability; Inquisitiveness

Planned duration of the engagement: maximum 19 consultancy days for each of the two reports.

Timeline: October-November 2020.

Daily fee: 250 EUR, all costs inclusive

Application Process

A complete application includes:

1. Curriculum vitae or resume;
2. Statement of interest, which should include:

• Consultants’ academic degree and professional experience in Western Balkans and Turkey;
• Showing previous experience in conducting policy analysis and/or work on Roma inclusion project interventions;
• Demonstrate consultants’ previous experience working with Roma communities and civil society organizations (CSOs) or other relevant stakeholders;
• Provide three samples of similar previous work produced by the Consultants;
• Brief methodology clearly describing Consultant’s understanding of the assignment and challenges, including a proposal of the document/report structure (max. 3 pages).

Applications must be submitted in English language electronically to the following e-mail address: recruitment@romaeducationfund.org. The subject line should include “RARE – Strategic Regional Policy Analysis Consultant”.

Experts originating from some of the countries in geographical focus of the project (Western Balkans and Turkey), experts identifying themselves as Roma, Roma Education Fund scholarship recipients, and qualified female candidates fulfilling the above presented profile and requirements are particularly encouraged to apply.

[1] This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of Independence.

[2] ECD project was not implemented