National Consultant for Curriculum Review under CSESI

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Education

Duty Station: Dhaka

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : Non Staff Consultant

Duration of contract : 100 working days within 9 Months

Recruitment open to : External Candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Duty Station Time) : 15 August 2025

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

Based on the global reference documents produced by UNESCO ESD Section and IBE, including the Greening Curriculum Guidance and the 10 steps for curriculum alignment and other national (e.g., ESD Country Initiative) or regional resources to be identified in consultation with the Ministries of Education, CSESI project team and education stakeholders in Bangladesh, and under the over all guidance and supervision of the Head of Office, Chief of Education, and Education Programme Officer (CSESI) of UNESCO Dhaka Office along with International Consultants and ESD Section colleagues at UNESCO HQs, the National Consultant will undertake the main tasks of the consultancy as follows:

1. Review the formal education curriculum keeping close contact with National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) on their current initiatives relating to overall curriculum review, following the government guidance, and non-formal education programmes at the early childhood or pre-primary, primary, and secondary levels, and analyze the extent to which ESD-related topics are integrated. This work will include a review of national documents, including teacher policy, competency frameworks, curricular frameworks, subject-based syllabi, assessment frameworks, and teaching and learning resources as well as classroom and extracurricular activities observation to identify gaps and opportunities for further consolidation.
2. Develop recommendations on how elements on Climate Change Education (CCE), ESD and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) may be incorporated in curriculum, teaching, and assessment.
3. Develop tools and assess the preparedness of teachers along with assessing the teacher needs on what type of teaching and learning materials development might be required (for both pre-service and in-service) at primary and secondary levels to effectively teach CC, DRR, ESD, and GE through a teacher readiness survey. The recommendations of the survey will focus on how to improve teacher training documents, aligning with teachers' actual and perceived needs. The survey methodology ortools to be aligned with the curricular review thematic areas (e.g., aligned with the principles of the Greening Curriculum Guidance). DPE and DSHE will be supporting entities from govt. for data collection from field (if required) for the teacher readiness survey.
4. Support the Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministry of Primary and Mass Education (MOPME) and UNESCO Dhaka Office in organizing meetings and workshops.

As part of UNESCO’s global commitment to gender equality and human rights, all work assignments must integrate a gender-responsive approach and ensure UNESCO’s standards of equal opportunity employment and zero tolerance for sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse are upheld.

Long Description

Deliverables and timelines

The deliverables for this consultancy shall be the following:

1. A desk review report on national curricula and related documents for primary and secondary education and teacher training. The report will include a review of national documents, including competency frameworks, curricular frameworks, subject-based syllabi, assessment frameworks, and teaching and learning resources as well as classroom and extracurricular activities, and discuss gaps and opportunities for strengthening the CCE/ESD/DRR. The desk review report also to include the review of the teacher policies and CPD frameworks. The desk review report to outline the actionable recommendations on how to strengthen the incorporation of CCE/ESD/DRR in curricular and teacher training documents. The desk review report is expected to not exceed 45,000 words (approx. 90 A4 pages). The following is the anticipated 'Table of Content' for the review report: Acknowledgement, Acronyms, List of Tables and Figures, Executive Summary, Introduction, Methodology, Current Status, Gaps and Opportunities, Recommendations for Way Forward, Annex, References (possibly some topics might be added or changed as deemed necessary). All deliverables shall be submitted to UNESCO Dhaka in the English language.
2. A teacher readiness survey report covering primary data from at least 550 schools (300 primary, 50 primary madrasah, 100 secondary, 50 secondary madrasah, 50 technical-vocational schools/institutes), and secondary data from document review.
3. A report on teacher needs on what type of teaching and learning materials development required (for both pre-service and in-service) at primary and secondary levels to effectively teach CC, DRR, ESD and GE.
4. A final report to UNESCO Dhaka and Headquarters.

Long Description

The consultant will report to UNESCO Dhaka and Headquarters. The ministries of education will provide oversight to the technical work following the indicative timeline below.

1. Curriculum review – September – November 2025
2. Recommendations – December 2025
3. Validation – January 2026
4. Teacher training framework review – October – November 2025
5. Recommendation – December 2025
6. Validation – January 2026
7. Teacher readiness survey tools development and finalization – December 2025
8. Teacher readiness survey – January – March 2026
9. Data analysis and report – April 2026
10. Teaching Learning Material (TLM) needs assessment - January – March 2026
11. TLM report – April 2026
12. Final report – May 2026

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Competencies

1. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, excellent presentation skills and ability to communicate effectively in a multicultural environment.
2. Ability to work in a digital work environment using multiple office software packages (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Canva/Photoshop, Adobe), etc.
3. Ability to work in a team and on multi-country research projects will be a strong asset.
4. Ability to facilitate, and coordinate to contextualize, develop, and deliver face-to-face, and/or online orientations, and trainings as part of piloting on curricula, syllabi, education for sustainable development, climate change, disaster risk reduction, and SDG 4.7.1, 12.8.1 and 13.3.1 indicators at the national to global levels.
5. Flexibility to adjust work schedules, priorities, and capacity to multi-tasking and work effectively under pressure.

Long Description

Required qualifications

Interested candidates may submit a proposal outlining their approach to the assignment and budget using the online application platform by 15 August 2025. The national curriculum expert should have the mandatory qualifications and skills:

Education

1. At least a Master’s degree in curriculum development or other related areas of education.

Work experience

1. Extensive professional knowledge and at least 10 years’ experience in curriculum development at the country or international level.
2. Proven experience (minimum 7 years) in designing research methodology and tools, qualitative and quantitative data collection and data analysis, and synthesizing material of a technical or scientific nature.

Skills/competencies

1. Excellent knowledge on teacher training curricula and training process.
2. Excellent knowledge on the education sector in Bangladesh.
3. Excellent knowledge on education for sustainable development, climate change and disaster risk reduction.

Languages

Excellent knowledge (written and spoken) of English and Bangla.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Education

1. Advanced academic degree, preferably PhD in curriculum development or other fields (preferably education, climate and disaster education, international development, sociology, etc.).

Work experience

1. At least 15 years of progressively responsible relevant work experience with government entities. Experiences with international work environment like UN agencies or INGOs or similar entities will be an added advantage.

Skills/competencies

1. Strong network of partners in the areas of curriculum, education for sustainable development, climate change and disaster risk reduction are added advantage.
2. Familiarity with key concepts and topics in quality inclusive education (notably, gender equality, human rights-based approach, inclusion and diversity).
3. Excellent skills on writing for academic publications and other professional written work, including for a general audience.
4. Publications or co-authorship of knowledge products.

Long Description

Selection and recruitment process

Please note that all candidates must complete an online application and provide complete and accurate information. At the end of the Employment History Form, please insert extra pages with the following required information:

1. Up to date CV with contact details of at least 3 references.
2. Brief technical proposal on approach or methodology to carrying out the assignment.
3. Proposed fee (including monthly rate and daily rate).

FEMALE ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY

BENEFITS AND ENTITLEMENTS

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

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