Summary
Date Posted: Wednesday, September 29, 2021 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:

Individual consultancy to develop pre-primary STEM guide

Background and Purpose
The Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) of 2018/19 -2024/25 operationalized Rwanda Government aspirations in national policy frameworks such as the National Strategy for Transformation (NST1). The ESSP has a range of interconnected objectives intended to produce citizens who are lifelong learners; to promote development skills, core values, attitudes, functional competencies, and professional knowledge and skills as embedded in the basic education Competence-based Curriculum (CBC). These skills are necessary for Rwanda to attain the desired knowledge and technology-based economy.
Early learning is acclaimed for early skill building for children including Foundational Literacy and Numeracy. The ESSP emphasized the need to support Pre-primary as a priority sector. Particularly the ESSP recognizes Early learning as the foundation for future learning. Strategically, the ESSP emphasizes the need for promotion of science subjects at pre-primary, primary, and lower secondary levels to capture learners’ interest and stimulate the choice of science subjects at upper secondary level and beyond, so as to facilitate development of human resources who are able to transform Rwanda into a knowledge and technology-based economy. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) is one of the priorities of the ESSP and the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) STEM strategy. As part of its Education support plan, UNICEF is collaborating with Inspire educate and Empower Rwanda (IEE) to model STEM in Pre-primary as an emerging priority, and in accordance with the STEM strategy which recommends that STEM starts being implemented from pre-primary.
To support MINEDUC, Rwanda Basic education Board (REB) to implement STEM appropriately, UNICEF in partnership with IEE, will pilot and field-test STEM in 10 pre-primary schools/ECE centres constructed with the support of UNICEF. ECE teachers will be trained on STEM kits to pave the way to STEM rollout. Additionally, teachers in pre-primary schools will be trained on using Early Childhood Development (ECD) kits provided by UNICEF to ensure appropriate usage to support children’s learning. To avoid recurrent costs of supplying more kits, teachers will be trained to make teaching and learning materials using locally available resources. Through this consultancy, an essential package of materials will be identified, and a ECE STEM kit and STEM manual will be developed. Each of the 10 pilot schools will receive a STEM kit and over the course of this programme, pilot pre-primary schools will be supported to use the kits to implement STEM in pre-primary. The newly created resources will increase variety of materials in classroom and preempt future requests of ECD kits. Evidence from this pilot will be used in advocacy with MINEDUC to support rollout of STEM in pre-primary schools.
Objectives
Specifically, the objectives of this consultancy are for support to REB to:

 Identity and present best practices of STEM activities for classroom setting suitable for pre-primary schools/ECD centers; map and develop possible scenarios and projects for pre-primary/ECD teachers that they use in pre-primary classrooms; map and present possible tools or materials for teaching different STEM subjects at pre-primary/ECD level and describe the role and usage of every tool/materials in teaching STEM topics/subject in pre-primary.

Design a STEM guide for pre-primary schools/ECD centres based on REB pre-primary education Competence and play-based curriculum, which should pave the way to lower and upper primary STEM implementation; propose and develop STEM Kits for pre-primary/ECD centres.
 Field-test the STEM guide and STEM kits and make necessary adjustments to address shortcomings from the field test.
A. Identify best practices of STEM activities and present scenarios/projects on STEM to implement REB ECE play-based curriculum.
The consultant will identify and present best practices of STEM activities suitable for pre-primary/ECD classroom settings. Using international best practices in STEM at pre-primary level, the consultant will explore the Rwandan context and available materials to present activities that are suitable for STEM during early learning. The consultant will also map and develop possible scenarios and/or classroom projects meant for pre-primary/ECD teachers use in classroom. These scenarios/projects will aim to support and strengthen the teaching of STEM in pre-primary classroom using pre-primary competency play-based curriculum. The consultant will then compile the findings into a STEM guide for the pre-primary/ECD setting.

 Design a STEM guide and propose a STEM kit appropriate for pre-primary level which is based on the REB pre-primary competency play-based curriculum
The consultant will develop a STEM guide for pre-primary. This guide will consider all STEM subjects for pre-primary level. The guide will provide information on use of range techniques including pedagogical instructions, scaffolding, self-directed learning, hands-on activities, and materials to use in those activities and a step-by-step guide to teach a given concept or lesson. All these will be aimed at maintaining children’s enthusiasm for STEM learning by integrating their interests. The guide will ensure appropriate content for different levels of pre-primary.
To make the guide relevant and pragmatic, the consultant will tap into locally available materials and technology and include multiple activities such as systematic exploration, observation, representation, planning, and problem-solving, creative and oral expression, and creative art activities. To implement this guide, the consultant will propose and design a STEM kit which will include all possible materials and tools needed to successfully implement STEM in pre-primary/ECD centres. The guide will include information on how the locally available materials can be utilized to teach STEM subjects in pre-primary.
This STEM guide will be written in Kinyarwanda and English to facilitate pre-primary teachers in both languages.

Field-test the STEM guide and STEM kits and make necessary adjustments to address shortcomings from the field test
To ascertain that the STEM guide developed and STEM Kit proposed are suitable for pre-primary/ECD schools, the consultant will field-test them in pre-primary classrooms. After field-testing, there will be a need to adjust the content and materials proposed for the guide and kit to suit the level, need and context of learners for effective learning using the competency, play-based curriculum.
The consultant will work with the MINEDUC and REB to field-test materials at the classroom level. After adjustments, both the STEM guide and the STEM kit will be approved by REB before use in pre-primary schools/ECD centres.

Minimum qualifications of individual consultant
• Minimum of a Masters Degree in Education, pedagogy, educational psychology, Social Sciences, Science, and Technology.
• At least 5 years of proven experience in STEM and Education; and working/teaching experience in pre-primary or lower primary.
• Familiarity with module/guide development; pedagogy; curriculum design; and/or education frameworks;
• Ability to meet the deadlines;
• Strong communication and facilitation skills;
• Proficiency in written and spoken Kinyarwanda is required, English would be an advantage;
• Previous related work would be an advantage.

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 60

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

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Job application procedure
Interested candidates should send their applications to: iee.job.hr@gmail.com  

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