Terms of Reference: Connect with Respect Implementation Research

In sub-Saharan Africa, gender-based violence (GBV), unintended pregnancy and HIV continue to be serious issues that are preventing young people – especially young women and girls - from achieving their full potential. These issues are interconnected and share many of the same root causes and consequences such as poverty, unequal gender and social norms, lack of access to education including sexuality education. School-related gender-based-violence (SRGBV) violates children’s fundamental human rights and reflects deeply rooted gender inequitable perceptions, beliefs and attitudes. The education sector has an important role to play in promoting health, wellbeing, and gender equality and addressing these issues directly through a whole school approach that keeps the learner at the centre of education efforts. In recognition of this key role, UNESCO and UN Women published in 2016, Global Guidance on Addressing School-Related Gender-Based Violence to help countries recognize SRGBV, develop approaches to prevent it from happening and put systems in place to provide support and redress for those who have experienced violence.

UNESCO’s partnership with UNGEI (United Nations Girls Education Initiative) and the range of partners in the Global Working Group to end School-Related Gender-Based Violence has enabled knowledge sharing and access to a wealth of global programmatic and educational resources on addressing SRGBV, from across diverse geographical contexts. One such resource is the classroom program entitled, Connect with Respect: Preventing gender-based violence in schools. This curriculum tool was developed for teachers in Asia and the Pacific to help teachers deal with SRGBV in their local context and to teach lower secondary students to understand the causes and effects of gender-based violence, and thereby, to develop their skills for building respectful relationships. Connect with Respect was jointly developed and released by UNESCO, UNICEF, Plan International, UN Women, UNGEI East Asia Pacific and the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign.

The Connect with Respect tool was adapted to the East and Southern African context by UNESCO through intensive collaboration with governments and other stakeholders in the region, and piloted in Eswatini, Tanzania and Zambia between 2019 and 2020. The pilot included training of teachers on the program followed by delivery in selected schools as identified by Ministries of Education, over varying periods of less than three months each. Following the pilot, analysis of the experience and outcomes of the Connect with Respect (CwR) program was conducted, covering the three pilot countries and additional countries outside the Eastern and Southern Africa region: Timor-Leste and Thailand. The analysis yielded crucial insights into the value and impact of the program, including but not limited to improved peer relationships and improved help-seeking knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

Building upon the successful pilot and subsequent analysis, the Ministries of Education in Eswatini, Tanzania, and Zambia, along with additional countries like Botswana and Malawi, have actively led the continued implementation of the Connect with Respect program. Recognizing the diverse contexts and needs within each country, program delivery has adapted accordingly. While the full curriculum may not be universally implemented, its key components and learning activities are strategically integrated to complement existing sexuality education content.

The purpose of the research is to understand how the CwR program is being implemented in each country and in different context. The finding from the implementation research will inform recommendations to enhance its delivery, effectiveness, and sustainability in diverse contexts. 
 

Select schools and stakeholders in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia. At least 5 schools and 10 stakeholders per country will be sampled. 
 

The objectives of the implementation research are to:

i. Explore how the CwR program is being delivered in the respective schools.

ii. Identify challenges, emerging practices, and lessons learned in the delivery of the CWR program, uncovering facilitators and barriers.

iii. Describe the extent to which and how the CwR program is integrated in the school system.

iv. Provide actionable recommendations to strengthen CwR program design, delivery, monitoring, and sustainability.

i. What are the key variances between the CWR programme's intended design and its actual implementation in different schools/countries, and what factors contribute to these variances?

ii. What factors influence fidelity to the CWR program, both facilitating and hindering its consistent and effective delivery?

iii. What emerging practices and lessons learned have been identified in the delivery of the CWR program, showcasing innovative approaches and adaptations?

iv. What key challenges and barriers are encountered in delivering the CWR program across different contexts and how do these impact the programme's effectiveness?

v. To what extent is the CWR program integrated within the educational system, ensuring its long-term sustainability and impact?

vi. What specific and actionable recommendations can be offered to strengthen the CWR program’s design, delivery, monitoring, and evaluation mechanisms?

The implementation research will employ a mixed methods approach in each of the three countries, leveraging both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis techniques. A comprehensive desk review will be conducted, examining existing post-pilot CwR materials such as curricula, training manuals, implementation guidelines, and reports. The review of the latter will delve into program adaptations across different contexts, successes, and challenges identified in previous efforts. These insights will inform the development of research instruments and interview guides for further exploration, ensuring they are tailored to address potential issues.

The research will utilize stratified random sampling to ensure representation across urban and rural schools, considering factors like school size and student demographics. Additionally, focus group discussions with teachers will delve deeper into their experiences, exploring delivery practices and adaptations, challenges, emerging practices, and recommendations for improvement. In-depth interviews with school management and representatives from the Ministries of Education, and UNESCO will further enrich an understanding of the teacher training and support mechanisms, delivery, monitoring, and broader curriculum implications. By triangulating quantitative and qualitative data through mixed methods analysis techniques, the research will achieve greater depth and rigor.

Ethical considerations will be prioritized, with informed consent obtained from all participants and data collection adhering to established ethical guidelines, with particular attention to the ethical handling of responses from children/minors, ensuring anonymity and data security.

The Contractor will be responsible for costs associated with obtaining ethical clearance for the research, where necessary.

The data collection tools will be piloted in one school per country to refine survey questions for cultural appropriateness and clarity, with feedback leading to modifications before wider implementation. Pilot testing of the survey and interview guides will ensure their clarity and effectiveness before full implementation.

The methodology is indicative and will be refined by the Consultancy Team in consultation with UNESCO during the inception phase. 
 

All deliverables will be produced in English. Translation of tools into local language and translation of qualitative transcripts from local language to English will be the responsibility of the consultant.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the UNESCO Education for Health and Well-being (EHW) Team Leader, the consultancy team will work with national and regional colleagues. The firm will be expected to identify and recruit National Consultants, who will work with UNESCO national programme officers to have access to in-country stakeholders for interviews, and access to schools for fieldwork. UNESCO regional colleagues will accompany the research from the outset, providing methodological guidance, quality assurance of the process and deliverables, monitoring timelines, and fostering smooth communication and collaboration.

Payments: Any payments will be made upon submission of satisfactory deliverables 
 

Mandatory

Team Leader

• Master’s Degree in any of the following fields: Implementation research, Education, Development Studies, Social Sciences, or other related studies; a PhD will be an added advantage.

• Minimum 7 years of experience conducting implementation research, action research and/or evaluations at the regional level (Eastern and Southern Africa region) and/or international level.

• Experience leading research and/or evaluation in Basic Education, supported by at least four (4) examples/references of projects.

• Proven experience in qualitative (software, such as NVivo) and quantitative (statistical methods, such as regression) research methodologies, supported by at least four (4) examples/references of projects.

Desirable

• Previous experience working with the UN on other assignments.

National Consultants/ Team Members

Mandatory

• Resident in the countries where the research will be implemented.

• Master’s Degree in any of the following fields: Evaluation, Education, Development Studies, Social Sciences.

• Minimum 4 years of experience conducting research and/or evaluation at the national and/or regional level.

• Strong experience in qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, supported by at least three examples/references of projects.

Desirable

• A gender-balanced team.

• Proficiency in English and main local language(s). 
 

All interested Consultants are required to submit a Technical and Financial proposal separately via email.

The technical proposal will be assessed on the following:

• Approach to assignment that demonstrates extent to which the Consultancy team understands the requirements as set out in the TOR.

• Feasible and technically sound methodology, appropriate for fulfilling the overall purpose of the research.

• Realistic work plan with specific treatment of key deliverables, and clear allocation of tasks among team members.

• Expertise, experience and qualifications of the team leader, and team members.

The financial proposal should detail the following:

• An appropriate Price Schedule which includes, as a minimum, the consultancy rate per day, and number of workdays per deliverable to assist the contracting process.

Sample Report

• A sample research report is to be submitted together with the technical proposal via email and is expected to be no more than 5 years old. This report must showcase the proposed Team Leader’s active involvement, either through their leadership in the project or their direct contribution to compiling the report. The report will be assessed on quality, relevance to the planned research, coherence of arguments, and effectiveness of the presentation of findings and conclusions.