AGA KHAN FOUNDATION
(Pakistan)
The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is a private, non-denominational, international development agency established in 1967. It seeks sustainable solutions to long-term problems of poverty, hunger, illiteracy and ill-health with special emphasis on the needs of rural communities in mountainous and other resource poor regions, primarily in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Its main areas of focus are education, health, rural development, environment and strengthening civil society.
The Aga Khan Foundation (Pakistan) [AKF(P)] is seeking high caliber professional team for the following Consultancy of upto sixty (60) working days spread over three months to be based in Islamabad with field work and extensive visits to Gilgit Baltistan:
1. Education Development and Improvement Project
The Education Development and Improvement Programme (EDIP) is a five-year project (May 2010 – June 2015) of the Aga Khan Foundation being implemented in the seven districts of Gilgit-Baltistan, including Gilgit, Astore, Ghanche, Skardu, Hunza-Nagar, Diamir, and Ghizer through a grant from the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT formerly AusAID). The project goal is to enhance access, equity and quality of education with increased gender parity, participation and sustainability of community interventions. EDIP is a synthesis of the Whole School Improvement (WSI) approach, successfully tested by AKU-IED PDCN in Northern Pakistan, and a cluster-based professional development approach.
2. Gilgit Baltistan Education Strategy (G-BES)
Pakistan reviewed its long-term education direction, through the lens of Vision 2025, and informed by the National Education Policy (2009). Within this framework, and recognizing the unique features of Gilgit Baltistan, the Directorate of Education decided in 2005 to develop its own education vision and long-term strategy, the main aim being the improvement of quality of education for Gilgit Baltistan, within the framework of the National Education Policy.
To this end in 2007-08, AKF through extensive public consultations developed the Northern Areas Education Strategy / Gilgit Baltistan Education Strategy (G-BES) which highlights key areas of policy and governance outcomes for the education sector for Gilgit Baltistan, including budgetary and fiscal implications for these outcomes.
With the advent of the 18th Constitutional Amendment, the subject of standards of education and residual functions rests in the region, Gilgit Baltistan needs to legislate to adopt public provision of free and compulsory education from the ages of 5 to 16 as the region’s goal and statutory obligation. That legislature will need to clearly articulate the roadmap and design of discharge of that obligation as the right to education is now a justiciable right of every citizen. The Gilgit Baltistan government will need to further put in place arrangements to provide publicly funded education to the citizens of the area, properly governed and managed. The administrative arrangements will ensure quality of education – including standards of quality of content, quality of instruction (including quality of the teacher, pedagogy, and teaching environment) and quality of assessment. The arrangements will also require guaranteed transfer of pre-accepted levels of financial transfers by the federal government. This also entails resource requirements for both access and quality. For example, the definition of free education has implications for financial resources, while accountability mechanisms have to be within the socio-political realities and implementation capacity of the entity.
With the development of a long-term strategy, Gilgit Baltistan will have a clear way forward for quality education, and will be in a strong position to attract both government and donor funding to support it. However, this will require structural and technical capacities that may not be readily available or in there nascent stage in the region.
3. Responsibilities
The purpose of this consultancy is to develop a comprehensive analysis of the institutional and structural context within which the G-BES will operate. This institutional assessment will require that the consultant:
- Understand the overall context of the G-BES and how it impacts the Education Sector for Gilgit Baltistan.
- This will entail drawing upon the work already undertaken such as the G-BES, its work plan and other key documents.
- Secondly the team will review these documents to identify possible discussion points for government, GB and Federal level.
Once the team has been able to ascertain the overall requirements and realities for the GB region, the team will engage in the second component of the work to be undertaken as follows:
- Develop a document outlining the main institutional and fiscal implementation issues for the G-BES to be operationalized in Gilgit-Baltistan. This will require:
- Deliberations with the key Government stakeholders for understanding the field realities as well as mapping the regional information, capacity issues, education trends, expenditures and policy outcomes of GB. This includes dialogue with key government officials from Federal Government to understand the Federal Government perspective, clearly. This will entail field work, understanding the coordination arrangements and its underlying fiscal and governance frameworks.
- Following this the team will undertake a comparative review of the political economy in education and how GB compares with the Federal Policy outcomes pertaining to Human Development and where other key provincial comparisons can be sought.
After the team has undertaken the political economy analysis for Education in GB as well as done a fiscal, institutional, and governance review for the sector, the last component of the assignment will be undertaken as follows:
- Based off the governance, fiscal and institutional implications of the G-BES, develop an action plan that address these with relevant stakeholders e.g. Departments of GB.
- Based on the G-BES paper developed, the team will present a detailed understanding of the institutional and capacity challenges to implementation to the relevant stakeholders in GB.
- The team will then further provide the relevant stakeholders and departments comprehensive presentations on the future action plan and roadmap that mitigates these challenges. These presentations will be developed using a highly interactive, participatory and dialogue based approach by involving the relevant departments in the finalization of the key outcomes, and ensuring ownership of the process for the GB Government. Where possible, the legislators and senior bureaucracy from GB will be brought together with Federal counterparts and/or relevant policy makers.
- These presentations will be summarily presented in an institutional assessment document for the ready reference and future planning for the GB Education department with sections on governance, institutional and fiscal outcomes.
Due to the nature of the consultancy and the deadlines of the programme the consultants will also be required to provide a brief portfolio outlining previous work and work-plan detailing their daily activities and deliverables
4. Required Qualifications and Experience
The team will comprise of consultants having at least a Masters in Public Planning, Policy, Development or related fields with at least Eight (8) years of relevant experience in public policy and planning including work plan development, critical path analysis, governance etc. The team must also be able to demonstrate:
- Experience and/or ability in monitoring, establishing networks, liaising, and working with Government officials.
- Experience in and understanding of programmatic operations.
- Ability to developing work plans, critical path analysis, and other relevant documents.
- Ability to work well under pressure and to meet deadlines.
- A strong internal and external relationship builder that possesses the stamina, resilience, and presence required to work productively with multiple stakeholders.
- Effective and relevant experience working with members of the leadership and organizational teams across a variety of locations and contexts within Pakistan.
- Flexibility and initiative, particularly when faced with challenges.
- Ability to time-manage and multi-task in a demanding and fast-paced work environment.
- Positive and professional attitude, and ability to work as a team player both with all levels of management.
- Strong written and oral communication skills.
Only Short-listed candidates would be contacted for submission of proposal.