Background

Save the Children International, African Union Liaison and Pan Africa Office (SCIPAO) and Plan International’s African Union Liaison Office (PIAULO) are among the major Children’s rights advocates that work to influence the African Union’s (AU) policies and practices to reflect, respond to, promote and protect children’s rights. Save the children Pan Africa and AU liaison has been working with the AU Commission to influence policy decisions at the Commission’s department for Human Resources, Science and Technology (AU/HRST) and that of Peace and Security Council (PSC). In the past 5 years, apart from the issue of attacks on education being recognised by CESA and having indicators on monitoring and evaluating attacks adopted in the CESA compendium of indicators; African Ministers of Education in October 2017 adopted a decision on safe schools calling for all member states to endorse the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) and implement its Guidelines.

The African Union (AU) envisions among others, a peaceful and prosperous Africa, integrated, and led by its own citizens and occupying the place it deserves in the global community and in the knowledge economy. Inspired by this vision and the aspirations of AU’s Agenda 2063, the Continental Education strategy (CESA 16-25) (expected to deliver the necessary human capital for the realization of the AU’s vision) recognizes peace and a secure environment as one of its pillars under the mission of reorienting Africa’s education and training systems to meet the knowledge, competencies, skills, innovation and creativity required to nurture African core values and promote sustainable development at the national, sub-regional and continental levels. CESA 16-25 is operationalizing its programs through clusters, presently 12 in number, among which is the Peace and Education Cluster. The mandate for this Cluster includes, among others, formulating national policies on peace education and conflict prevention; training stakeholder as peace actors and mediators; learning lessons and developing and disseminating materials on peace education; and reinforcing initiatives and activities of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA)’s Inter-Country Quality Node (ICQN) on Peace Education.

CESA 16-25 underscores the importance of protecting schools and universities from attacks and military use in order to ensure the continuation of education during war and in post conflict situations in Africa. The violations include recruitment and use of children; killing or maiming of children; sexual violence against children; attacks against schools or hospitals; abduction of children; and denial of humanitarian access. in response to attacks on schools and universities, and their military use which predisposes them for attacks, CESA 16-25 condemns the practice by both national forces and non-state actors and has identified the Cluster on Peace Education as the appropriate platform to facilitate continuous education during wars and in post conflict situations, towards the attainment of the continental education strategy’s goals and objectives.

Save the children Pan Africa and AU liaison has been working with the AU Commission to influence policy decisions at the Commission’s department for Human Resources, Science and Technology (AU/HRST) and that of Peace and Security Council (PSC). In the past 5 years, apart from the issue of attacks on education being recognised by CESA and having indicators on monitoring and evaluating attacks adopted in the CESA compendium of indicators; African Ministers of Education in October 2017 adopted a decision on safe schools calling for all member states to endorse the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) and implement its Guidelines.

Again, the PSC has condemned the phenomenon of attacks on education in at least 6 of their Open Sessions and called for more member states endorsing the SSD. The Council has also recommended for the issue of protecting children during wars to be escalated to the AU Summit level. In addition, the establishment of a Group of Friends of children affected by armed conflict, co-convened by the Ambassadors of Nigeria and Liberia, both members of the PSC, underscores the importance attached to the issue at the AUC. The safe schools Guidelines is useful as a tool for preventing attacks on schools as well as for protecting education during and after armed conflict situations. To date, only 28 out of the 55 African member states have endorsed the SSD.

Scope of the study

This TOR seeks to define the guiding framework for the Mapping study of national, regional and AU policies on Peace Education by conducting a desk study to assess the state of policies on peace and education in Africa that will inform the strategic directions of the Cluster.

The study will cover the following areas;

1. Review policy frameworks established nationally, regionally and AU level to protect education from attacks and military use
2. Identify legal loopholes in the overall implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration and guideline
3. Emphasis study on member states that have strong policy framework and identify key areas in which other member states can learn in establishing strong policies
4. Investigate AU’s overall achievements in relation to the declaration and indicate recommendations to the AU effort to institutionalization of the declaration and the guideline and reporting to AU by member states with strong accountability mechanism in place

Specific areas of review will include the following:

• Existence and the relevance of content of a policy framework for Peace and Education Cluster working under CESA
• The extent of integration of peace and education in areas of protection of education from attack in legal framework
• Promising policy practices and frameworks on Peace and Education, Prevention of Violent Extremism, Global Citizenship Education, and Peacebuilding in Africa
• The extent of integration of peace education in the legal frameworks of the endorsing countries
• Policy recommendation to national, regional and AU on formulation of legal frameworks on protection of education from attack

For each of these ICQN focus areas, the study will be limited to broad areas such as the problem; practical interventions undertaken through the ICQN and other actors; progress and lessons learnt; challenges and way forward.

• Assessment and analysis of targeted member states’ education and defence policies in providing continuous education during emergency situations, especially armed conflict.

Specific areas of the study will include;

• The extent of implementation of the principles of the Safe Schools Guidelines/protection of education from attacks and military in the 28 AU member states that have so far endorse the Safe Schools Declaration.
• Existence and operationalization of reporting mechanisms on the implementation of the Safe Schools Guidelines or any mechanisms for providing continuous education at all times in target member states in the national, regional and AU level

The consultancy of this specific task will be primary focusing on states under active conflict from endorsing states of the SSD and other states which have shown interest to endorse.

Angola, Burkina Faso, CAR ,Chad, Cote D’Iovire, DRC, Liberia, Mali , Nigéria, Somalia , South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Cameroon and Zambia.

Goal and specific objectives

The overall goal is to contribute to the formulation and implementation of continental and national policies for peace and secure environment for education in Africa.

Specific objectives of the study are;

1. Mapping the national, regional and AU level policies to scale up the engagement Peace Education cluster ICQN on Peace and Education in CESA 16-25
2. Improved understanding on peace education policies in Africa by ensuring secure environments for continuous education before, during and after armed conflict situations in Africa.
3. Improved and systematic advocacy for peace education delivery through the development of a database on national education policies with well domesticated international instruments on peace education and conflict prevention in school and university environments.

Methodology

Pre-study processes

The following processes are envisaged by this ToR:

• Draft and review ToR
• Work with Save the Children/ADEA and the ICQN on Peace Education to screen and identify an individual/institution consultant to carry out the desk study
• Commission the study to cover targeted countries in Africa

The study processes

The consultant is expected to conduct a desk study to collect and analyse information through, but not limited to the following:

• Review literature, including reports from targeted sector ministries, organisations and individuals.
• Propose a budget, calendar and activities for the study.
• Communicate with potential respondents through email and conduct interviews with contact persons via skype, webinar or telephone calls.
• Identify 1-3 strategic countries for face-to-face engagements and interactions with children affected by armed conflict.
• Develop a questionnaire for the collection of information.
• Propose other innovative ways of collecting data and information.

Post study processes

• Consultant shares findings of the study as a contextual basis for the development of a strategy/roadmap by the Peace and Education Cluster.
• AU/HRST adopts the findings as a key document for CESA 16-25
• AU/HRST reports on activities of the Cluster at the AU Summit

Study Focus Groups

1. Education and Interior/Defense Ministry policy persons.
2. Child right/protection coalitions representatives, if available
3. NGOs/CSOs involved in the education sector and other actors according to your understanding of the task

Expected Outputs

The consultancy will yield the following outputs:

• An inception report, detailing the approaches of the Consultancy;
• A final Report to be submitted to the Save the Children Africa Union Liaison and Pan Africa Office (SCIPAO) and expected to be adopted by Africa Union Human Resources Science and Technology department as AU policy document.

Accountability and Responsibilities

For purposes of coordination and oversight, the Consultant will work with and be

accountable to the SCI AU Liaison Office and Plan International AU Liaison Office.

Job Requirements

Qualifications or specialized knowledge/experience required: 

• Master’s degree or above in social science, education, law or related field
• A minimum of 7- 10 years of relevant professional work experience with projects related to child protection, policy analysis, humanitarian and education, and research.
• Experiences working with children affected by armed conflict, including refugees is a bonus.
• Abreast with latest development in the field of child protection, humanitarian and advocacy
• Familiarity with child protection and education in emergencies would be beneficial, including advocacy programming at local, national, regional and Pan Africa levels.
• Fluent in English and working knowledge of French will be advantageable 
• Excellent planning and organizational skills
• Strong communication skills - both oral and written.

Assessment

The technical proposal and the financial proposal constitute sixty percent (60%) and forty percent (40%) of the final mark respectively.

Duration

The assignment is envisaged to take duration of total of 3 months starting the April1/2021

How to Apply

Expression of Interest and application

SCIPAO and PIAULO invite competent individuals to express interest and electronically submit a technical and financial bid to selamawit.amdeberhan@savethechildren.org & Tsion.nega@savethechildren.org not later than March 10/ 2021.