BACKGROUND
The Government of Rwanda is in
the final stages of reviewing its national curriculum. The review is being led
by the Rwanda Education Board (REB), with support from UNICEF, DFID and other
development partners in the education sector. The new curriculum will be
introduced progressively, starting in January 2016 in grades Preprimary,
Primary 1 and 4 and Secondary 1 and 4.
The goals of the new curriculum
are to:
· Focus upon learner outcomes in
terms of both competencies and knowledge, providing young people with a
balanced and challenging 21st century education
· Deepen learning and raise
levels of attainment as higher order thinking skills are routinely developed
· Develop a love of and devotion
to learning such that Rwanda becomes a nation of lifelong learners
· Ensure coherence and
consistency across all subjects and throughout the age range from pre-primary
to the completion of secondary education
· Be comparable with the best in
the world in terms of standards and unmistakably Rwandan in character
· Prepare young people for the
needs of the Rwandan labour market, the demands of the Higher Education sector
and the challenges of the global economy
To achieve those goals, the
curriculum aims for all students to master a set of basic and generic
competencies which are summarized in Annex 1. They are further discussed in the
curriculum framework and syllabus, which describes in detail the curriculum
approach and its 5 pillars: Aims, values and principles; subject content and
approach; student competencies; cross-cutting issues; and Rwandan culture and heritage.
The table below summarizes the subject content for the 5 grades where the
curriculum will first be introduced in 2016.
Pre-primaryRequired:Discovery of the World; Numeracy; Physical and Health
Development; Creative Arts and Culture; Language and Literacy: (Kinyarwanda and
English); Personal, Social and Emotional DevelopmentP1
Required:Kinyarwanda;
English; Mathematics; Social Studies (History, Geography, RE, Citizenship);
Sciences and Elementary Technology and ICT; Creative arts (Music, Fine Art and Craft);
Physical EducationP4 Required:Kinyarwanda; English; Mathematics; Social Studies (History,
Geography, RE, Citizenship); Sciences and Elementary Technology and ICT;
Creative arts (Music, Fine Art and Craft); Physical Education; FrenchS1
Required:English;
Kinyarwanda; Mathematics; Physics; Chemistry; Biology and Health Sciences; ICT;
History and Citizenship; Geography and Environment; Entrepreneurship; French;
Literature in EnglishElective (schools choose 1):Kiswahili; Religion and Ethics; Music,
Dance and Drama; Fine Art and Crafts; Home Sciences; FarmingCo-curricular
subjects (compulsory for schools):Physical
Education and Sports, Library, ClubsS4 Required (students
choose 1):
· Sciences combinations – 3 of the following:
mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, geography, computer science,
economics
· Humanities – 3 of the following: (History,
economics, geography, literature in English, Religious Education)
· Languages – 3 of the following: Literature in
English, French, Kinyarwanda, Kiswahili Elective
(schools choose 1) :
Kinyarwanda, French, English,
Kiswahili Co-curricular
subjects (compulsory for schools):
Religious activities, Sports
/Clubs, Computer/library,
Free Periods
To facilitate the new
curriculum’s approach, new teaching and learning materials (LTMs) will be
developed for each of the core subjects in the five introductory grades. LTMs
will primarily consist of textbooks and teachers guides, although supplemental
materials will also be considered.
Rwanda has strong experience in
developing, procuring and distributing textbooks in a decentralized and
transparent way. Its evaluation methodology, criteria, evaluation instruments
and scoring system were used successfully for the 2009 and 2012 bids and there
is a cadre of experienced evaluators who have been through the existing
evaluation system.
To demonstrate scope of the work
for 2015, the following table shows a rough estimate of the number of students
in each of the five grades where the curriculum will be introduced, based on
EMIS data from 2013. These numbers are only indicative of the number of
students that will be in each grade in 2016 because cohort sizes vary by year,
so these figures should not be taken as the actual figures. Textbooks will be
provided to all schools in Rwanda according to the ratio to be determined by
REB and the figures in the table below.
GradeEstimated total pupils by grade based on
2013 EMIS data Estimated number of subjects requiring textbooksPre-primary 142,471 3 Primary 1 664,161 5
Primary 4 341,454 6 Senior 1 147,547 13 Senior 4 78,300 16Total
1,373,933 43
In addition there are about
65,000 teachers according to the 2013 MINEDUC Annual Report. All teachers will
need at least one teacher guidebook for the subject that they teach. Teachers
who teach more than one subject will need more than one guide book.
PURPOSE OF THE
CONSULTANCY
The overarching goal of this
consultancy is to support REB to ensure that quality textbooks are developed
and delivered to all schools by the 2016 school year. More specifically, the
purpose of the consultancy is to provide technical assistance to REB on the
development of LTMs for the new curriculum to ensure a quality process. The
main tasks of the consultancy will entail providing support on the development,
evaluation, distribution, monitoring of LTMs and on associated training
programmes.
Prior to the start of the
consultancy, REB will finalize textbook specifications (December 2014) to guide
publishers on textbook and teacher guide development and evaluation criteria
(December 2014) to guide publishers on how their books will be evaluated.
Building on this work, the
consulting institution will provide close technical support on nine key steps
that have been identified to guide the LTM development, distribution and
monitoring process:
- Support for Bid Announcement and related documentation
- Support updating of LTM MIS database
- Support Bid Evaluation process
- Evaluate drafts of textbooks and teacher guides
- Provide guidance to help prepare schools
- Support school ordering process
- Advise on deliveries to schools and payments to
publishers - Contribute to training of teachers
- Guide monitoring LTM use
In addition to these nine steps,
the consulting firm will also provide miscellaneous support to REB as required
in relation to LTM development, distribution and monitoring.
Throughout these nine steps, the
consulting institution should give special attention to ensuring that:
- Textbooks and Teachers guides are in line with the
textbook specifications - Textbooks and teachers guides reflect the priorities of
the new curriculum - Contributing to building a quality and sustainable
system for the development and distribution of LTMs - Give particular attention to the use of English
language, to ensure that learning content is accessible to all learners. - Consideration is given to provisions of LTM for children
with disabilities and special learning needs and support for teachers who
are to use the LTM to assist them
The recommendations and
deliverables produced through this work will be widely shared with key
Education partners through the Education Sector Working Group so that they may
also contribute to their knowledge.
EXPECTED PRODUCTS
The following are the key
deliverables expected from the consultancy. One key deliverable has been
identified for each step of the process, however activities are not limited to
the deliverables below (see activities table below):
- Provide inputs to the documentation required for the
launch of the bid - Refresher Workshop for REB on Bid Management and
Evaluation Requirements - Updated LTM MIS database
- Training for evaluators and technical support throughout
evaluation process - Written guidance for schools on how to select textbooks
- Update textbooks catalogue distributed to all schools
- Publisher contracts signed and schools orders processed
correctly - Written guidance/training materials for training
teachers on how to use textbooks - Monitoring tools and strategy for tracking use of textbooks
and final report on lessons learned
DURATION OF CONTRACT
The work described herein should
take place between 15 March 2015 and 15 September 2016.
KEY ACTIVITIES
This section describes each step
of the process outlined above. Key activities and time frames for each step are
summarized in the table below. The steps below are based on the current system
for developing and distributing teaching learning materials. The consulting
institution is kindly invited to identify innovations and improvements for the
next cycle.
Step 1. Support
for Bid Announcement and
related documentation– The first step in the work is to ensure
that REB’s LTM coordination team is up to date and familiar with the latest
developments in the new curriculum, the textbook specifications, the bid,
content of the bid documents and evaluation process, including the evaluation
specifications, evaluation methodology and scoring system. This work will
require liaising with publishers and managing their approach.
Step 2. Support updating
of LTM MIS database–
As there has been no ordering or LTM distribution this year, some basic aspects
of the LTM database are currently out of date, e.g., the grade level enrolment
data, which is essential for budgeting, is not up to date and there has been no
capitation allocation and calculation this year. The list of schools, including
pre-primary, needs updating, and needs updating accurately, both for the budget
and also for deliveries. The consulting institution will guide this process.
Step 3. Support Bid Evaluation
process– The quality
of the textbooks is crucial to ensuring quality education. Thus, attention is
needed to ensure that the textbook and teacher guide evaluation process is
rigorous and based on the carefully prepared evaluation criteria. To do so the
evaluators need thorough training to cover the new requirements for evaluating
how successfully materials have included the necessary new skills, topics and
competencies. Additionally, it will be important for the consultancy
institution to accompany the evaluation process to provide technical expertise.
This includes reviewing draft chapters of textbooks and supporting early, mid
and late stage evaluation processes. This process should also include
evaluating and adding supplemental learning materials to the existing approved
list.
Step 4. Provide guidance
to help prepare schools –In
Rwanda, to support decentralized decision making, schools are allowed to choose
their own textbooks. REB identifies a list of approved textbooks and the
schools receive a catalogue from where they can choose their books and order.
In light of the new curriculum and the new LTMs, schools may need support in
how to select their textbooks based on the competency based approach and the
new materials.
Step 5. Support school ordering
process– The
consulting institution will need to support the process by which schools make
their textbook requests to REB. This will include updating and distributing the
catalogue, receiving orders from schools, entering orders into the database, submitting
the order to publishers.
Step 6. Advise on
deliveries to schools and payments to publishers– The consulting institution will need to
support REB to ensure that textbooks are delivered correctly to schools, by
supporting the development of an efficient distribution plan based on previous
years’ experience. Once books are delivered, the consulting institution will
support the process for remunerating publishers.
Step 7. Contribute to
training of teachers–
Distributing new LTMs only contributes to education quality if teachers use the
guidebooks correctly and if students use the textbooks. Since the LTMs will use
a new approach, teachers may need support in learning how to use them. The
consulting institution will be expected to contribute to development of teacher
training programme for using the new LTMs.
Step 8. Guide the end use
monitoring for new LTMs–
Since this is the first year of the new curriculum, it will be important to
monitor and document how the new LTMs are being used as well as lesson learned
from the development and distribution processes. This way subsequent rounds of
textbooks procurement will benefit from the lessons learned in the first round.
The table below summarizes the
activities that may be required for each step during the proposed contract:
TaskKey activities Tentative timeframe 1.
Provide inputs to the documentation required for the launch of the bid · Review
and provide inputs to bid documentation March 2015 2. Support for Bid
Announcement and related documentation · Refresher Workshop for REB on Bid
Management and Evaluation Requirements and related materials
· Online follow-up support March
2015 3. Support updating
of LTM MIS
database · Refresher course with REB on LTM MIS updating requirements and
schedules
· Review list of existing
supplemental materials and advise on relevance to new curriculum
· Support updating of LTM MIS
March 2015 4. Support Bid Evaluation process · Training of Evaluators
· Support for Bid Evaluation and
related documentation April-June 2015 5. Provide guidance to help prepare
schools · Contribute to development of guidance to schools on how to select
textbooks June-September 2015 6. Support school ordering process · Approved
Titles to be entered on LTM MIS database
· Schools to be provided with approved
titles catalogue and order forms
· Revised School Ordering
Handbook to be produced
· Support for school order
collection, bulking of school orders and publishers contracts June-September
2015 7. Advise on deliveries to schools and payments to publishers · Confirmed
Delivery Certificates (CDCs) to be collected from schools and districts and
entered onto LTM MIS
· Payments to publishers on proof
of completed delivery June-September 2015 8. Contribute to training of teachers
· Contribute to training of teachers on how to use textbooks August
2015-January 2016 9. Guide monitoring of LTM use and assessment report ·
Support the development of a tool for monitoring the use of textbooks and
teachers guides in the classroom
· Conduct a brief analysis to
assess the use of textbooks in the classroom
· Guidance note to inform the
second round of textbook development March-September 2016
QUALIFICATIONS
Applying institutions must meet
the following qualifications:
· Proven experience in working in
partnership with governments and in developing the capacity of national
education systems and LTM systems
· Significant technical
experience in working specifically with LTM systems at national level,
including the IT component which will be required for this consultancy
· Significant work experience in
developing countries
· Proven technical expertise in
education and in managing education programmes
· Knowledge of the Rwandan
context would be an asset;
· Must be legally certified and
registered institution
· Experience with M&E in
education an asset
· Capable of recruiting experts
with a high level of relevant expertise
Individual experts to be working
on the project with the applying institutions must meet the following criteria:
· Proven experience in working in
partnership with governments and in developing the capacity of national
education systems and LTM systems
· Significant technical
experience in working specifically with LTM systems at national level,
including the IT component which will be required
· 10+ years of working experience
in education or related area and demonstrated technical expertise in a relevant
field
· Fluency and excellent writing
skills in English required
· Relevant university degree
education, social science or other relevant areas
· Knowledge of the Rwandan
context would be an asset
· Good communication and advocacy
skills.
If possible, the team of experts
should be gender balanced (mixed) and with proven experience on equity issues.
Applications by teams with multidisciplinary skills are encouraged.
WORKING ARRANGEMENTS
a. UNICEF Rwanda will be responsible for
selection of the institution to conduct work described herein and to
supervising the consulting institution.
b. The implementing institutionis expected to
use its own equipment, including computers. UNICEF premises, technical and
logistical support (printers, photocopying, and other similar services) will be
available for the meetings, report printing and collecting inputs from other
partners. UNICEF will be responsible for the organization of the support
process.
c. Reporting.Consultants and consulting
institution will report to UNICEF on all technical and contractual issues.
Individual consultants will report on a daily basis to the Director General of
REB through relevant heads of department. Final deliverables will be approved
by UNICEF and MINEDUC/REB.
REMUNERATION AND INCURRED COSTS
UNICEF will cover all costs in
accordance with UNICEF rules and procedures. Payments will be effected in
several instalments. The table below gives a list of proposed deliverables,
however the actual contract deliverables and payment schedule will depend on
the technical and financial proposal.
· UNICEF reserves the right to
withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if
work/outputs is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines.
· The products and deliverables
of this consultancy are not the property of the consultant. No deliverables may
be shared or published without written permission from REB/UNICEF. REB/UNICEF
will be free to adapt and modify them.
Under the current system the
following are the proposed deliverables. However, bidding intuitions are
invited to recommend innovations that may improve the systems and would result
in additional or different deliverables, which can be outlined in the technical
proposal.
Deliverables1. Refresher Workshop for REB on Bid
Management and Evaluation Requirements
- Updated LTM MIS database 3. Training for evaluators and
technical support throughout evaluation process 4. Written guidance for
schools on how to select textbooks - Updated textbooks catalogue distributed to all schools
6. Publisher contracts signed and schools orders processed correctly - Written guidance/training materials for training
teachers on how to use textbooks 8. Monitoring tools and strategy for
tracking use of textbooks and final report on lessons learned
REPORTING AND SUPERVISION
Consulting institution will
report directly to the UNICEF Chief of Education on all technical and
contractual issues, with frequent collaboration with REB and other key
stakeholders, including MINEDUC/REB, Education Sector Working Group and its
thematic working groups, consisting of government and development partners.
Individual consultants will report to the Director General of REB through the
relevant Heads of Department on day to day issues. Final deliverables will be
approved by UNICEF and MINEDUC/REB before payment.
HOW TO APPLY
Qualified institutions are
requested to submit a full technical proposal that should be guided by, but not
restricted to, the steps and activities outlined above
In addition, qualified
institutions should submit:
· A description of the institution
and its prior work portfolio
· List of sample analytical
reports or academic publications to demonstrate previous work
· CVs of all individuals that
will work on the project
· List of two references for each
individual who will be proposed by the institution
Companies that are shortlisted
will be contacted by UNICEF and asked to submit a financial proposal, detailed
budget and timeline for each of the steps or deliverables, using the table
below:
DeliverableNumber of person days Delivery date Costs*
Applications will be reviewed by
UNICEF and REB to determine the most suitable candidates.
Prepared by:
Hugh Delaney
January 30, 2014
ANNEX 1: COMPETENCIES
REFLECTED IN NATIONAL ASPIRATIONS
The Rwandan curriculum will
ensure that the subject syllabuses will articulate the definition of
competences and learning outcomes per unit of learning and the learning
activities. The focus will be to integrate transferable key competencies into
all learning areas while strengthening the effective delivery of the basic competencies
Competencies emphasized
for the National Curriculum
CompetenciesCompetency Descriptions Basic Literacy In
all subjects across the curriculum:
· Reading a variety of texts
accurately and fast.
· Expressing ideas, messages and
events through writing legible texts in good hand-writing with correctly spelt
words.
· Communicating ideas effectively
through speaking using correct phonetics of words.
· Listening carefully for
understanding and seeking clarification when necessary Numeracy In all subjects
in topics dealing with numbers, data, statistics or graphical representation:
· Computing accurately using the
four mathematical operations.
· Manipulating numbers,
mathematical symbols, quantities, shapes and figures to accomplish a task
involving calculations, measurements and estimations.
· Use numerical patterns and
relations to solve problems related to everyday activities like commercial
context and financial management.
· Interpreting basic statistical
data using tables, diagrams, charts and graphs. ICT and digital In all subjects
across the curriculum
· Locating, extracting, recording
and interpreting information from various sources.
· Assessing, retrieving and
exchanging information via internet or cell phones.
· Using cell phones and internet
for leisure and for money transactions.
· Using computer keyboard and
mouse to write and store information.
· Using information and
communication technologies to enhance learning Broad Basic Citizenship and
national identity · Relating the impact of historical events on past and
present national and cultural identity.
· Understanding the historical
and cultural roots of Rwandan society and how the local superstructure
functions in relation to the global environment.
· Demonstrating respect for
cultural identities and expressing the role of the national language in social
and cultural context.
· Advocating for the historical,
cultural and geographical heritage of the nation within the global dimensions.
· Showing national consciousness,
a strong sense of belonging and patriotic spirit.
· Advocating for a harmonious and
cohesive society and working with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Entrepreneurship and business development · Applying entrepreneurial attitudes
and approaches to challenges and opportunities in school and in life.
· Understanding obligations of
parties involved in employment.
· Planning and managing micro
projects and small and medium enterprises.
· Creation of employment and
keeping proper books of accounts.
· Taking risks in business
ventures and in other initiatives.
· Evaluating resources needed for
a business. Science and technology · Applying science and technology skills to
solve practical problems encountered in everyday life including efficient and
effective performance of a given task.
· Develop a sense of curiosity,
inquisitiveness and research to explain theories, hypotheses and natural
phenomena
· Reasoning deductively and
inductively in a logical manner.
· Using and experimenting with a
range of objects and tools of science and technology and drawing appropriate
conclusions. Lifelong learning · Taking initiative to update knowledge and
skills with minimum external support.
· Coping with the evolution of
knowledge and technology advances for personal fulfilment.
· Seeking out acquaintances more
knowledgeable in areas that need personal improvement and development.
· Exploiting all opportunities
available to improve on knowledge and skills. Generic Critical thinking · Think
reflectively, broadly and logically about challenges encountered in all
situations
· Weigh up evidence and make
appropriate decisions based on experience and relevant learning
· Think imaginatively and
evaluate ideas in a meaningful way before arriving at a conclusion
· Explore and evaluate
alternative explanations to those presented by others Creativity and innovation
· Responding creatively to the variety of challenges encountered in life.
· Use imagination beyond
knowledge provided to generate new ideas to enrich learning.
· Take initiative to explore
challenges and ideas in order to construct new concepts.
· Generate original ideas and
apply them in learning situations.
· Demonstrate resilience when
faced with learning challenges Research and problem solving · Be resourceful in
finding answers to questions and solutions to problems.
· Produce new knowledge based on
research of existing information and concepts and sound judgement in developing
viable solutions
· Explain phenomena based on findings
from information gathered or provided Communication · Communicating and
conveying confidently and effectively information and ideas through speaking
and writing and other forms of communication using correct language structure
and relevant vocabulary effectively in a range of social and cultural contexts.
· Comprehending language through
listening and reading.
· Using oral and written language
to discuss, argue and debate a variety of themes in a logical and appealing
manner.
· Communicate clearly and
confidently using a range of linguistic, symbolic, representational and
physical expression.
· Developing and communicating
formal messages and speech appropriate to the target recipient or audience.
Cooperation · Co-operating with others as a team in whatever task assigned.
· Adapting to different
situations including the world of work.
· Demonstrating a sense of
personal and social responsibility and making ethical decisions and judgments.
· Practising respect for the
rights, views and feelings of others.
· Practising positive ethical and
moral attitudes with respect to socially acceptable behaviour.
· Perform practical activities
related to environmental conservation and protection.
· Advocating for personal, family
and community health, hygiene and nutrition.
· Developing motor skills to
perform a variety of physical activities for fitness, health, leisure and
social interaction.
Complete technical proposals
should be sent to rwasupply@unicef.org no later than Sunday
22 February 2015 .
