Bangladesh: Inclusive Education Advisor

Background

Plan International is a global organization that works side by side with communities in 50 developing countries to end the cycle of poverty for children and their families. Plan works at the community level to develop customized solutions and ensure long-term sustainability. Our solutions are designed up-front to be owned by communities and range from clean water and healthcare programs to education projects, economic empowerment, child protection initiatives and youth civic engagement. Across program areas, Plan’s activities are guided by a Child-Centered Community Development (CCCD) approach, which is rights-based, holistic, gender-sensitive, and inclusive.

Position Description

Plan International is seeking an Inclusive Education Advisor for the anticipated USAID Bangladesh Read to Learn activity. The activity will provide direct technical assistance to the Government of Bangladesh and its sector-wide Fourth Primary Education Development Program (PEDP4), as well as to schools and teachers and will foster partnerships between schools and families to enhance opportunities for children to read outside of school and in the home. The Inclusive Education Advisor will be responsible for the design and implementation of key program strategies that target inclusion of all children and specifically focus on key populations within Bangladesh that are significantly underserved. The Advisor will be working with the UDL approach and will be leading on the integration of inclusion activities and directives within the trainings and action plans throughout the program workplan.

The Advisor will work closely with program leads, the Government of Bangladesh and the local partners stakeholders to ensure that inclusive education practices are utilized throughout program design and implementation. To achieve this, the Inclusive Education Advisor will provide trainings and support capacity development activities for program staff, government representatives, school administrators and NGOs. S/he will work closely with the program’s management to review all work plans and M&E plans and provide constant feedback to ensure an inclusive program and encourage transformative change within the education sector.

If awarded this position would be based in Dhaka, Bangladesh and have an anticipated start date of late 2018.

Responsibilities

· Design the program’s inclusion strategy and ensure workplan activities are inclusive of key populations and are focused on activities that support teachers, parents and government structures to target and meet the needs of a range of children with different needs . This might include children with disabilities, girls, refugees, and students with varied learning needs.

· Partner with the Government of Bangladesh and program leadership to ensure policies, materials and curriculum development accommodate students with varied learning needs,

· Work with local government and local NGOs through training and capacity building on inclusion activities and approaches

· Strengthen capacities of program staff in applying social inclusion strategies to the design, implementation, and evaluation of pilots and activities;

· Review and ensure that core instruments, tools and modules are sensitive to disability and social inclusion principles;

· Review and ensure that communication products are sensitive to disability and social inclusion principles;

· Advise the monitoring, evaluation, research and learning team on the collection, analysis, and disaggregation of data to track the program’s progress against its disability strategies;

· Document the process, results, lessons learned, and key recommendations of disability for the program.

Key Qualifications and Skills

· Bachelor’s degree in social science, public policy, education, or other related degree required; advanced degree preferred.

· At least five years’ experience working on development programs providing gender and social inclusion training and technical inputs, preferably within the education sector

· Demonstrated track record of promoting inclusive education for learners with disabilities or special needs, including familiarity with best practices and tools to improve learning outcomes for learners with disabilities

· Experience supporting government counterparts or other implementation partners to mainstream inclusion considerations in policy planning preferred

· Fluency in English required. Fluency in Bangla strongly preferred.

Qualified Bangladeshi nationals, including those living in the diaspora, are highly encouraged to apply.

To apply please send a CV in English to Recruitment@planusa.org. Applicants who fail to meet the application criteria may be disqualified.