Historique

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (UN Women) mandate provides for support to catalytic and innovative programmes which promote gender equality, women’s empowerment and human rights in Ethiopia. UN Women’s Ethiopia Country Office (ECO) three-year programme on “Preventing and Responding to Violence Against Women and Girls in Ethiopia (VAWG) “is broadly focused on a comprehensive approach that encompasses legislation and policies, prevention, services for survivors, research and data. One of the results areas expanding under the new programme is formal education (including primary, higher educational institutions and vocational training) and non-formal education to actively promote a gender equal, respectful, non-violent culture amongst students, teachers and other staff through the educational curricula and programmes addressing gender inequality and VAWG to be developed and integrated into formal and non-formal education. Accordingly, one of the UN women’s ECO EVAWG activities is conducting a gender analysis of the elementary school curricula to identify gender disparities in the curricula and text books by analyzing the process of its development, the contents and its possible effects on students.

Education is a human right and an essential tool for achieving equality, development, and peace. Non-discriminatory education benefits both men and women and ultimately equalizes relations between them. To become agents of change, girls must have equal access to educational opportunities. Literacy of women is key to improved health, nutrition, and education, and to the empowerment of women as full participants in decision making in society. Investment in formal and nonformal education and training for girls and women, with its exceptionally high social and economic return, has proved to be one of the best means of achieving sustainable development and economic growth. Every person must have access to basic education and other essential services. Without such access, the poor, and their children, will have little opportunity to improve their economic status or to participate fully in society.

Equality of rights has become an issue following the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948. UNESCO adopted its first most important Convention Against Discrimination in Education in 1960. According to this Convention 'discrimination' includes any distinction, exclusion, limitation or preference, which being based on race, color, sex, language, and religion has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing equality of treatment in education. But the Commitment to gender equality in education came to prominence after the Jomtien Declaration 1990 and later on the Dakar Framework for Action 2000, under which the goals and targets for the member countries were reset by making commitments to universal access and promotion of equity states and all gender stereotyping in education should be eliminated. To achieve the goal (v) of Dakar Framework for Action 2000, one of the strategies has a specific focus on making the school curriculum relevant to the local needs and making the school atmosphere lively and attractive.

As described in the World Declaration on Education for All (EFA), gender parity is explained in terms of equal enrolment ratios for girls and boys; creating a schooling environment that is free of discrimination and provides equal opportunities for boys and girls to realize their potential; making sure the school environment is safe; improving school facilities to be gender sensitive; training teachers in gender sensitivity; achieving gender balance among teachers and rewriting curricula and textbooks to remove gender stereotypes. One of the efforts by Ethiopia towards gender parity is reflected in the emphasis given to the rights of women as stated in the constitution of Ethiopia.

In recognition of the history of inequality and discrimination affecting women in Ethiopia, women are entitled to remedial and affirmative measures. The purpose of such measures shall be to enable women to compete and participate on the basis of equality with men in political, social and economic life, and to gain access to opportunities and positions in public and private institutions. Women have the right to protection by the state from harmful customs. Laws, customs and practices that oppress women or cause bodily or mental harm to them are prohibited (Ethiopian constitution article 35 and 34). To enhance the achievement of gender parity in the education sector, the education and training policy emphasized the need to give special attention for females at all levels of the education system. Ethiopia has made enormous strides forward in improving access of boys and girls to education at all levels, and in promoting gender equality within the education system. Yet, female students continue to lag behind in educational achievement and access, particularly at the secondary and tertiary levels, where girls’ enrolment, completion and achievement rates are lower.

Curriculum approaches are important, as education that encourages young people to question, negotiate and challenge violence and gender discrimination is critical for preventing Gender Based Violence (GBV). Young people need to be able to recognize what constitutes violence and abuse, how to protect themselves from harm, and take action to avoid harm to others. They also need to be given the opportunity to develop positive notions of gender, including masculinity and femininity as well as to develop increased understanding and acceptance of sexual and gender diversity. The curriculum is the strongest tool to transmit and transform the culture, values and beliefs of society to the learner. Since every society has its gender belief system and gender stereotypes i.e. the prevailing images of what men and women are supposed to be like, the same are reflected and portrayed in the curriculum. When children enter the school environment, the images of male and female portrayed in books, crystallize their concept about gender and consequently; their own self-image, behavior, aspirations and their expectations.

During the elementary education period, elementary school is the place for children to learn knowledge besides that they learn appropriate gender roles from their teachers, peers and textbooks. The primary school period is essential for children to learn appropriate gender roles from their teachers, peers and textbooks. What the primary school children see in those textbooks or what they experience from their classmates and teachers will affect children’s view of stereotypical views of behaviours, roles.

UNESCO together with International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa recently developed a comprehensive Gender Responsive Education (GRE) toolkit with the aim to equip education professionals with adequate knowledge and skills to enable them to institute GRE in schools, colleges of teacher education and universities. The toolkit contributes to the enhancement of institutional capacities to develop gender responsive curricula, evaluate teaching and learning materials, create gender responsive classrooms and interactions, and eliminate stereotypes in teaching and learning practices. The capacity building targeted curriculum writers, teacher education experts, school teachers, teacher educators and deans of teacher education institutions.

Devoirs et responsabilités

• Preliminary discussion with the reference group
• Develop inception report with schedule
• Develop data collection tools
• Draft report of the gender analysis
• Validation workshop
• Final report of the gender analysis

Compétences

Core values

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core competencies

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Functional Competencies:

• Strong knowledge of gender equality and women’s rights issues
• Excellent level of conceptual and analytical capacity
• Ability to work in a team
• Ability to write in a clear and concise manner and to communicate effectively
• Demonstrates use of initiative and ability to make appropriate linkages in work requirements
• Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback
• Meets deadlines for delivery of products or services
• Able to work virtually, using communication technologies
• Strong interpersonal skills

Qualifications et expériences requises

Education

• Master’s degree in Social Science (Education, Gender Studies and related fields)

Expierence

• Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in research, analysis and data collection and particularly on issues of Gender and Gender analysis
• The consultant must bring a team of   two experts who have first degree in Pedagogy and/or Gender with more than five years’ experience related to curriculum/text book development
• Previous experience working with the UN is an asset

Language 

• Fluency in English, Amharic and Afar Oromo (oral and written) is required;
• Computer skills: full command of Microsoft applications (word, excel, PowerPoint) and data encoding software’s

NOTE

Interested applicants must submit

• Signed Curriculum vitae with contact details of 03 clients for whom you have rendered preferably similar services
• Proof of previous written work in English

Complete applications should be sent to Addisalem Befekadu with addisalem.befekadu@unwomen.org or Luwam Zenebe with luwam.zenebe@unwomen.org

Only applications with all items mentioned above will be considered.