Senior Consultant_Education (PLS) Review of Arab Reading Challenge (ARC)

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)

Duty Station: Remote

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : Consultant

Duration of contract : 4 months

Recruitment open to :  External candidates 

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

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

Background

The Arab Reading Challenge (ARC) is a cultural and educational initiative launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ruler of Dubai, to contribute to the creation of a knowledgeable, informed, and critically thinking generation in the Arab world. It is one of the activities of the Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI).

More specifically, the ARC aims to respond to the issue of low reading skills in the Arab region and to foster literacy as a cornerstone of individual and societal progress by addressing major barriers, such as limited access to books, high costs of books, and an education system often focused on rote learning through:

• Promoting sustainable reading habits.
• Developing critical literacy and creative thinking skills.
• Enhancing cultural awareness among students.

Long Description

Since 2015, eight editions of the ARC have been implemented. The initiative has engaged more than 131 million students, hundreds of thousands of schools, and countless dedicated educators in 50 countries, especially in the Arab region.

In this context, UNESCO and MBRGI are conducting a joint review of the ARC to understand how the ARC initiative has influenced children’s reading habits and reading cultures across participating communities in selected Arab-speaking countries. This study examines the ARC’s transformative potential to offer valuable insights into how this large-scale, cross-country initiative empowers children and young people and fosters cultural understanding. These findings may help demonstrate its contribution to building a brighter future and lay the groundwork for the initiative’s potential expansion.

Objectives and scope

The main objectives of the review are to understand the following dimensions of the ARC initiative in several selected countries.

• Relevance and effectiveness of the ARC initiative and its governance: The review aims to generate insights into the relevance and effectiveness of ARC activities and governance.
• Participation and reading habits. The review aims to generate a cross-time comparison on the ARC participation (e.g. students and countries participating in 2015 and 2024) and reading data (e.g. time spent on reading, number of books read, etc.).
• Socio-cultural context and community engagement. The review aims to examine 1) literate environments and socio-cultural contexts which might have impacted ARC participation; and 2) ARC’s role in shaping learner’s engagement in socio-cultural activities within their communities and with families and peers.
• Policy implications. The review will also explore implications of ARC for the enhancement of national education policies, especially the integration of ARC into national curricula and/or strengthening of their reading component and required actions, paying attention to the alignment of curricula, pedagogies and assessments.

Expected outputs

The expected outputs of the review are as follows: 

• A comprehensive report which includes the results of the review of the ARC, noteworthy cases of ARC practices and a set of evidence-based recommendations.
• A policy brief which highlights key findings and recommendations for policymakers.

Design and Methodology

Review design

This review will adopt a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative research approaches for a comprehensive analysis of data and information. UNESCO, in close collaboration with MBRGI, will oversee review-related activities. The data collection process will be facilitated by UNESCO through its field networks and contacts with governments, while MBRGI will mobilize its coordinators and other contacts as necessary. The draft document on review design and methods of data collection and analysis will be further developed with the consultant, in consultation with a Technical Reference Group, co-chaired by representatives of UNESCO and MBRGI and composed of experts.

Data collection 

In addition to ARC’s existing data, new data will be collected through surveys and interviews. The draft surveys, interview questions and reference documents for data collectors and respondents will be peer-reviewed by the Technical Reference Group (TRG) and will be pilot tested with a small sample group before their full deployment, to ensure the clarity and relevance of the tools.

• Quantitative data could be gained through: 1) ARC registration information which includes the country, school, name, age, date of birth, gender, region/district of the school, type of the school (public/private) of student participants. (Sample data will be shared by MBRGI); and 2) online surveys composed exclusively of closed-ended questions with scale-based responses to facilitate quantitative analysis except for 1-2 open questions at the end.

• Qualitative data will be collected via:1) Semi-structured Interviews with students, teachers, parents, ARC national coordinators and policymakers to collect in-depth information and their perceptions about the ARC programme and its implementation. These interviews will also facilitate the collection of personal stories (including those from previous winners); 2) 1-2 open questions that will appear at the end of the above-mentioned surveys.

The collected data, where possible, will be disaggregated by variables (e.g., gender, age, region, socio-economic background) to enable the study to provide comparative and more detailed analysis, especially for understanding the dimensions of inclusion, equity and equality of key findings.  

Main responsibilities

The consultant will conduct the review of the Arab Reading Challenge (ARC) under the overall guidance of the Director of the Division for Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems of UNESCO’s Education Sector. The work will be supervised by the Chief of the Section of Youth, Literacy and Skills Development (ED/PLS/YLS), who will work with the Chief of the Sections of Education Policies within the Division. The consultant will also work with three junior consultants in close collaboration with members of a UNESCO team established for the ARC review which works closely with MBRGI.

Main tasks

Inception phase:

1. Implementing activities to prepare the ground for the review, including participating in a kick-off meeting with the Technical Reference Group (TRG) , collecting relevant documents and the available data from the student registration platform, mapping stakeholders, and conducting scoping interviews. 
2. Finalizing the review design (including a Theory of Change) and a review matrix with key questions, data collection methods, and data sources.

Instrument development and data collection phase:

1. Developing data collection tools, namely interview protocols and surveys, as well as guidance documents for data collectors and respondents.
2. Conducting a peer review of data collection instruments by members of the TRG (technical reference group).
3. Implementing a pilot test of all instruments with small samples of students, teachers, school coordinators, and other identified stakeholders.
4. Designing the sampling strategy for schools, students, parents, teachers, and other stakeholders.
5. Conducting the online and in-person data collection with all respondent groups.

Analysis and report drafting phase:

1. Cleaning and analysis of data from a student registration platform, surveys and interviews.
2. Preparing the draft and final report of the review (between 50 and 60 pages, excluding annexes: 320 words per page) in English with Annexes, including a list of references, a list of interviewees, tools, case studies and a brief survey report.    
3. Preparing 2 pagers and 2 PowerPoint slide decks to present the key findings and corresponding power point documents.

Responsibilities

UNESCO, which works closely with MBRGI, ensuring MBRGI’s review and feedback on draft documents, will facilitate the data collection process, including contacts with concerned governments and access to the various respondent groups, while MBRGI will mobilize its ARC coordinators. The consultant will be responsible for logistics, including space for work, relevant software for quantitative and qualitative data analysis, telecommunications and printing of documents. UNESCO will facilitate travel arrangements when necessary. The consultant will ensure the quality of work, considering TRG’s advice and guidance to be provided by UNESCO and MBRGI. UNESCO jointly with MBRGI will be responsible for ultimate quality assurance.

As an overarching principle, the consultant is requested to work closely with UNESCO, which serves as the Secretariat for the review, as well as the Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI). Up to three rounds of drafts and feedback should be allowed for. The first draft should be submitted by 20 August 2025 to UNESCO for appraisal and input. Based on comments which would be provided by UNESCO and MBRGI, the contractor will finalize the draft and will submit the final version to UNESCO by 15 September 2025 for its approval.

Compliance with the evaluation policies of the UN and UNESCO  

In line with UNESCO’s Evaluation Policy (2022-2029), the review will comply with the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Norms and Standards for Evaluation, UNEG Guidelines for Integrating Human Rights and Gender Equality in Evaluations and UNEG Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation. The review consultant will have to ensure that ethical, human rights, inclusion including ‘Leaving no one behind (LNOB)’ promise, and gender equality principles are duly integrated in all consultations and at all stages of the review process. The consultant is expected to further develop the review methodology and propose a customized review framework, in accordance with 196 EX/12 Part I (Annex) presented in an evaluation matrix to guide the evaluation exercise.  The review report will take into account the UN Evaluation Group (UNEG) Quality Checklist for Evaluation Reports and the UNESCO Evaluation Manual.

Review report and writing style  

The draft report of the final review shall be written in the English language at an excellent level. The consultant shall grant UNESCO all related permissions in writing for their use or reproduction. The report will be approximately 50-60 pages (320 words per page), excluding Annexes. It will be accompanied by Annexes, including a list of references, a list of interviewees, data collection instruments, case studies and a brief survey report.  

All sources must be properly cited and follow international academic standards and ensure that no copyrights are violated. Acronyms may be used, when necessary, but they should be spelled out upon first mention and included in a table of acronyms. The style of writing shall target an audience of policymakers, government officials, experts working in the field of education and international cooperation, as well as other stakeholders. The final report must follow the guidelines specified in the UNESCO Style Manual (https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000141812_eng) with respect to uses of terminology, spelling, abbreviations, references, and country names. 

Deliverables 

The consultant(s) is expected to deliver the following items, incorporating revisions based on feedback from UNESCO and MBRGI.

Note: The timeline of implementation may be adjusted, subject to the approval of UNESCO and MBRGI, to accommodate additional administrative requirements or other unforeseen circumstances.

Required qualifications and experience

The proposed review is highly specialized and requires demonstrated expertise and excellent knowledge in the field of education and lifelong learning, as well as review and monitoring. Hence, a consultant is required to possess the following qualifications and experience.

Academic background 

• An advanced university degree (at least master's or equivalent) in education, educational psychology, curriculum & instruction, measurement, literacy, social sciences, or other relevant areas.

Professional Experience

• At least 10 years of professional experience, preferably both at international and national levels, in research, programme management, monitoring and review.
• Previous experience designing data collection instruments (surveys, interviews) and undertaking analysis of quantitative and qualitative data.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience in education, literacy studies, and lifelong learning.  

Skills/competences 

• Demonstrated expertise with social science research methods, both qualitative and quantitative research
• Excellent analytical and writing skills, including the ability to produce clear, concise and quality documents in English.
• Excellent communication skills in English.
• Strong teamwork skills and the ability to work effectively in an international, multicultural environment.
• ICT skills required for conducting the review (e.g. Word, Excel, SPSS, Atlas.ti, Nvivo).

Other requirements

• No prior involvement in the design, implementation, management, and/or monitoring of the activities that will be the object of this contract.

Moreover, it is desirable that the consultant possess the following qualifications and characteristics:

• Good understanding and application of UN mandates in Human Rights and Gender Equality;
• Familiarity with the UN system and/or UNESCO’s work;
• Working knowledge of Arabic;
• Experience in working in the Arab region and familiarity with local cultures.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

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SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please note that the duration of this consultancy is 4 months (June - October 2025). All applications should be submitted in English to Literacy@unesco.org by 15 June 2025 COB in GMT.  Please label the subject line ‘Consultancy work for the ARC Evaluation’.

Interested experts are kindly requested to submit the following documents in their applications: 

1. A proposal including the following components (max. 3 pages).
   • Technical proposal (e.g. Understanding of the assignment, proposed evaluation design and methodology, and workplan, relevant experience)
   • Financial proposal (proposed fees for the assignment)
2. Curriculum vitae (CV)
3. A sample of previous work

The selection of a consultant will be made considering the following elements: 1) technical expertise, 2) proposed evaluation design and methodology, 3) writing and analytical skills and 4) financial proposal

The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as an interview. UNESCO uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be further contacted. The candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided. For any inquires and additional information, please contact: literacy@unesco.org. Thank you in advance for your interest in this work. We are looking forward to receiving your applications.

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