Senior Consultant - Education and Gender Policies

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)

Duty Station: Remote

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 7 to 11 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Duty Station Time) : 30-JUNE-2025

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

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

Background and Rationale

The Government of Balochistan (GoB), through its School Education Department (SED), is committed to transforming the provincial education system to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all. Anchored in the Balochistan Education Sector Plan (BESP 2020–2025), this reform agenda aims to improve learning outcomes, particularly at the Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Primary levels, by strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy skills.

To operationalize these commitments, the Government and its partners have jointly developed the Balochistan Partnership Compact (2024–2028), which outlines a shared vision to improve access, learning outcomes, and system performance. The Compact calls for bold, transformative actions—policy reforms, institutional strengthening, and investment in quality learning—with special emphasis on girls’ education and gender equity.

Despite notable progress, Balochistan’s education sector continues to encounter systemic constraints that impede the realization of equitable and quality learning outcomes. Key structural challenges include an acute shortage of qualified teachers, inadequate infrastructure, weak governance mechanisms, and insufficient institutional and human resource capacities. The absence of a comprehensive and updated provincial Education Policy further constrains the province’s ability to guide systemic reforms effectively and coordinate efforts across stakeholders. 

At the same time, persistent gender disparities pose a critical barrier to achieving equitable education outcomes. These include low female enrolment and retention rates, underrepresentation of women in leadership and decision-making roles, gender biases in educational and professional settings, and insufficient support mechanisms for female students and teachers. The lack of a dedicated provincial Gender Equality in Education Policy that systematically integrates gender-responsive strategies into education policy, planning, and implementation compounds these issues. Addressing these multifaceted challenges requires the development of a holistic, inclusive, and gender-responsive policy environment — one that not only ensures access to education for all, but also enables girls and women to thrive and lead within the education system.

Long Description

Consultancy objectives 

The primary objective of this consultancy is to support the School Education Department (SED) formulate two interrelated and strategic policy documents: a revised Education Policy and a standalone Gender Equality in Education Policy for the province of Balochistan, that are responsive to local needs, inclusive, and evidence based. These policies will serve as foundational instruments for guiding equitable, inclusive, and high-quality education service delivery in alignment with provincial, national, and international commitments.

Scope of work

Under the supervision of and in close collaboration with IIEP-UNESCO team coordinator, the consultant shall support the development of two critical policy instruments:
1.    A revised and forward-looking Provincial Education Policy that builds upon the 2015 Provincial Education Policy and integrates the strategic priorities of the Balochistan Education Sector Plan (BESP 2020–2025) and the Balochistan Partnership Compact (2024–2028) and that provides strategic direction, coherence, and an enabling framework for ongoing and future reforms for the whole sector; and
2.    A dedicated Provincial Gender Equality in Education Policy that addresses structural inequalities, fosters girls' participation and learning, and promotes gender-responsive planning and governance within the education sector.

More specifically, the consultant shall support the following activities:  

1. Provincial Education Policy Development

Inception work: documentations review, needs assessment and data analysis 

a.    Review existing policy documents and data, including the 2015 Provincial Education Policy, BESP (2020–2025), the Balochistan Partnership Compact (2024–2028), ITAP-EFA Assessment, relevant legal and regulatory frameworks, studies and reports, and administrative data.
a.    Co-prepare and co-facilitate inclusive and participatory consultative meetings to gather diverse inputs and perspectives from both provincial and sub-provincial key stakeholders on the current state and needs of the education system (during a two-week mission in Quetta and/or at distance).
b.    Co-analyse the data and insights gathered from the consultative meetings to identify key themes and priorities.
c.    Co-conduct a comprehensive analysis of sector performance and challenges using available data, stakeholder inputs, and field-level insights. 

Drafting 

d.    Draft the new Provincial Education Policy document that:

i.    Articulates a shared vision, guiding principles, goals, and strategic priorities.
ii.    Reflects the provincial commitment to improving ECE, foundational learning, gender equality and inclusive education.
iii.    Embeds resilience, gender, equity and inclusion as cross-cutting themes.
iv.    Specifies institutional roles, and
v.    Defines key monitoring indicators (including gender-specific KPIs and KPIs related to ECE and primary teachers, teaching and learning environment, student engagement, and girls' access to education).

e.    Ensure coherence with broader education reforms and alignment with the Provincial Gender Equality in Education Policy, the ECE Policy, as well the ECE Cadre. 

Consultation and validation 

f.    Co-prepare and co-facilitate a pre-validation meeting with SED and external experts for initial inputs on the policy.
g.    Revise the draft education policy based on feedback from the pre-validation consultation.
h.    Co-prepare and co-facilitate discussions to address any concerns and gather additional feedback to strengthen the education policy during a consultative workshop with all relevant stakeholders. 

Finalization

i.    Revise the draft education policy based on feedback from the validation workshop.
j.    Contribute to the synthesis of policy linkages between the Education Policy and the Gender Equality in Education Policy, the ECE policy and the ECE Cadre.
k.    Prepare a summary policy brief and a PPT for government dissemination use. 

2.    Provincial Gender Equality in Education Policy

Inception work: documentations review, needs assessment and data analysis 

a.    Review existing policy documents and data, including the 2015 Provincial Education Policy, BESP (2020–2025), the Balochistan Partnership Compact (2024–2028), ITAP-EFA Assessment, relevant legal and regulatory frameworks, studies and reports, and administrative data.
b.    Co-prepare and co-facilitate inclusive and participatory consultative meetings to gather diverse inputs and perspectives from both provincial and sub-provincial key stakeholders on gender equality in education (during a two-week mission in Quetta and/or at distance).
c.    Co-analyse the data and insights gathered from the consultative meetings to identify key themes and priorities.
d.    Co-conduct a comprehensive gender diagnostic of the education sector that identifies key barriers to gender equity in enrolment, learning, school leadership, and the education workforce and that map current gender-responsive practices, legal protections, and institutional gaps using available data, stakeholder inputs, and field-level insights. 

Drafting 

e.    Draft the policy for gender equality in education that:

i.    Sets a vision and objectives for achieving gender equality in education.
ii.    Proposes policy measures to increase girls' enrolment, retention, and learning outcomes.
iii.    Outlines strategies to promote gender equity in teacher recruitment, training, career advancement, and school management.
iv.    Embeds resilience, equity, and inclusion as cross-cutting themes.
v.    Establishes institutional mechanisms for gender mainstreaming and accountability.
vi.    Specifies institutional roles, and 
vii.    Details monitoring indicators. 

f.    Ensure coherence with broader education reforms and alignment with the Provincial Education Policy, the ECE Policy, as well the ECE Cadre. 

Consultation and validation 

g.    Co-prepare and co-facilitate a pre-validation meeting with SED and external experts for initial inputs on the policy.
h.    Revise the draft education policy based on feedback from the pre-validation consultation.
i.    Co-prepare and co-facilitate discussions to address any concerns and gather additional feedback to strengthen the education policy during a consultative workshop with all relevant stakeholders. 

Finalization

j.    Revise the draft education policy based on feedback from the validation workshop.
k.    Contribute to the synthesis of policy linkages between the Gender Equality in Education Policy, the Education Policy, the ECE policy and the ECE Cadre.
l.    Prepare a summary policy brief and a PPT for government dissemination use 

The development of the Education policy and Gender Equality in Education policy(1) will be closely integrated with two other policy instruments: the ECE Policy and ECE Cadre. This alignment is essential to ensure consistency across policy objectives and to leverage synergies in planning and implementation. To maximize efficiency and coherence, the initial desk review and stakeholder consultations—both in Quetta and remotely—will address all three policies concurrently.

Establishing strong alignment between the Education and Gender equality in Education policies and the ECE Policy and ECE teacher cadre is critical. The Education Policy will serve as the overarching framework, with the Gender Equality and ECE policies nested within it. Ensuring that the Gender Equality Policy aligns fully with both the Education and ECE policies is a key priority. Accordingly, the sequencing of work is proposed as follows: the ECE Policy will be reviewed first, followed by the development of the ECE teacher cadre framework, then the Education Policy, and finally the Gender Equality in Education Policy.

It is also worth mentioning that the prioritization of policy work under the SCG, especially the revision of the ECE policy, will support the effective implementation of System Transforming Grant (STG) interventions that will be rollout in parallel. Since the STG places strong emphasis on expanding access to and enhancing the quality of ECE services, it will be essential that these efforts are guided by a coherent and updated policy framework. Proper articulation of interventions will support a smoother transition from system-level planning to school-level service delivery, ensuring that foundational policy work directly informs and strengthens the operational rollout of the STG, while minimizing fragmentation and avoiding duplication of efforts.

To avoid duplication of efforts and fragmented monitoring, it is recommended that each policy remain strategic in nature—focused on outlining core priorities, high-level strategies, and key performance indicators (KPIs). Detailed action plans, implementation strategies, and monitoring frameworks will be embedded within the forthcoming Education Sector Plan (ESP). The update of the ESP offers a timely opportunity to consolidate and operationalize these reforms—ensuring that the revised ECE, Education, and Gender Equality policies, along with the ECE teacher cadre, are translated into coherent, actionable plans supported by integrated results matrices for effective delivery and monitoring.

(1) The ECE policy and ECE cadre will be coordinated by IIEP with the support of other experts. 

Consultancy duration and expected outputs

The consultancy will run over 11 months: 16 July 2025 – 29 May 2026. Most of the work will be conducted remotely, with a one two-week mission in Quetta planned for September 2025, if feasible. 

Over the course of the assignment, the consultant will be responsible for delivering the following outputs 

Inception work: documentations review, needs assessment and data analysis (July- December 2025)

• Consultation preparation work, including Identifying and mapping key stakeholders involved in education provision, gender mainstreaming and policymaking at both provincial and sub-provincial levels (and including public and non-public actors), and designing tools for data collection and interviews conduction.
• Situational analysis of the current education landscape in Balochistan including the consultation analysis findings to serve as a background document for the Education Policy development.
• Gender diagnostic (that identifies key barriers to gender equity in enrolment, learning, school leadership, and the education workforce and that map current gender-responsive practices, legal protections, and institutional gaps using available data, stakeholder inputs, and field-level insights) including consultation analysis results to serve as a background document for the Gender Equality in Education Policy development.

Drafting (December 2025 – Mars 2026) 

• First draft of the Education Policy based on evidence, stakeholder inputs, and aligned with BESP and the Compact.
• First draft of the Gender Equality in Education Policy based on evidence, stakeholder inputs, and aligned with the Education policy, as well as BESP and the Compact.

Consultation and Finalization (Mars - May 2026)

• Draft 2 of the Education Policy: revised document incorporating feedback from SED and external experts.
• Draft 2 of the Final Gender Equality Policy: revised document incorporating feedback from SED and external experts.
• PPTs illustrating key features of the Education Policy to support final consultation discussions.
• PPTs illustrating key features of the Gender Equality in Education Policy to support final consultation discussions.
• Final Education Policy: revised document incorporating feedback from the validation consultation.
• Final Gender Equality Policy: revised document incorporating feedback from the validation consultation.
• Summary policy brief and a PPT for government dissemination use – for both policies.

Long Description

Payments

All deliverables will be subject to approval by IIEP. Payments will be released upon satisfactory submission of deliverables in English (editable formats may be required). Payment terms will be clarified during contracting.

Travel clause

If feasible, a two-week mission to Quetta, Pakistan will be conducted in September 2025. All travel will follow UNESCO rules and regulations (economy class, standard DSA, self-arranged travel with lump-sum reimbursement).

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

The consultant must meet the following requirements:

Academic Qualifications:
Advanced university degree (at least a master’s degree) in Education, Public Policy, Gender Studies, or a related field.

Professional Experience:

• Minimum 15 years of relevant professional experience at national, regional and global level in gender-responsive education policy development, sector planning, analysis and education reform.
• Demonstrate ability in drafting high level gender-responsive policy/strategic planning documents and reports, sector and gender analyses for Ministries of Education
• Proven experience in conducting assessments, stakeholder consultations, and facilitating participatory, capacity-development approaches.
• Familiarity with the education landscape of Pakistan or similar contexts (fragile and conflict affected situations).
• Previous work with government institutions, development partners, and international organizations is an asset.

Long Description

Skills and Competencies:

• Strong analytical, drafting editable, and communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex data and information into actionable policy recommendations.
• Fluency in English (required).
• Cultural sensitivity and the ability to engage in policy dialogue with diverse stakeholders including government, civil society, and marginalized groups.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Candidates who meet the required qualifications are invited to apply before 30 June 2025 midnight Paris time (UTC+2), by submitting:

• An updated CV (maximum five pages) via UNESCO CAREERS
• A technical and a financial proposal (maximum 5 pages) to: consultancytc@iiep.unesco.org

NOTE: The CV together with the technical and financial proposal must be sent to the email address consultancytc@iiep.unesco.org for the file to be eligible. The technical and financial offer should briefly outline:

Part 1: Technical Proposal

• An up-to-date curriculum vitae.
• A statement indicating how their qualifications and experience make them suitable for the assignment.
• An indication of the approach (methodology, detailed workplan) he/she would adopt to carry out the assignment.
• List of relevant publications, if any. Provide link or URL to view online.

Part 2: Financial Proposal

• The consultant’s proposed remuneration and fees expressed in USD based on the deliverables requested.
• Please do not include travel costs. Travel costs required during the consultancy will be included directly in the actual consultant contract.
• Please submit your supporting documents in English.

Applications that do not include this information will not be considered for the following phases of the counting process.

Only retained candidates will be contacted.

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

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