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For every child, education
The European Commission approved a Technical Support Instrument to support the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth (MoERDY) of Slovakia in the area of desegregation of Roma children in education. The Project is implemented by the UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, in cooperation with European Commission’s Reform and Investment Taskforce (SG REFORM) and the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of Slovakia. The Project aims to strengthen the capacity of education authorities and stakeholders at all levels to effectively implement desegregation of Roma children in education, and to develop a sustainable system to monitor elimination and prevention of segregation in schools. The expected impact is to provide Roma children with high quality education which will enable them to have better skills, knowledge and equal opportunities, as well as to promote inclusion and respect for diversity and multiculturalism, eliminate prejudices, stereotypes and discrimination of Roma children in the education system and beyond.
How can you make a difference?
UNICEF is providing technical support to implement the project activities as per the agreed Description of Action: i) a comparative EU/international review of good practices in eliminating and preventing education segregation for Roma children, ii) peer-learning activities to familiarize Slovak education authorities with EU good practices, iii) upgraded methodology for monitoring elimination and prevention of education segregation for Roma children iv) a toolkit for capacity building and capacity building events for MoERDY and other national and regional education authorities and other stakeholders, v) a draft National Education Desegregation Plan including action from all levels of education and supported by other sectors, and vi) a draft national action plan for social behavior changes in support to inclusion of Roma children in education.
UNICEF ECARO is launching a call for consultancy for a Roma Education/Inclusive Education Expert to provide expertise during the development of various resources (toolkit, methodology, action plans) as well as to support the review, analysis and capacity building activities envisaged with the project.
The specific tasks expected from the Roma Education/Inclusive Education Expert-Consultant are described further in the document (details of all tasks and activities will be discussed in more detail with the selected candidate).
The Roma Education/Inclusive Education Expert-Consultant will be supervised by the Regional Education Specialist in UNICEF ECARO responsible for overall coordination and quality assurance of the Project, and she/he will also work closely with other 2 consultants: the TSI Project Coordinator-Consultant and the National Education Specialist-Consultant.
The Roma Education/Inclusive Education Expert-Consultant will have regular calls with UNICEF ECARO and the TSI Project Coordinator-Consultant to review progress, challenges and next steps. All reports to be submitted in electronic format by email to UNICEF Education Specialist in English. Modality: Home-based, part-time for 45 working days within a period from July 2025 to December 2026 (with 2 travels to Slovakia). Work Assignment Overview
Deliverables/Outputs
Number of working days and deadline Undertake an EU/international review of good practices in addressing education segregation specifically for Roma children and promoting inclusive education. Identify at least 3-5 good practices related to whole-school approach, effective monitoring of education segregation linked to policy development and improved practice, collaboration with community and parents. Draft the review of the good practices. Present the review to a group of EC/UNICEF and national stakeholders. Finalize the Provide a final version incorporating comments from stakeholders.
18 days
July-November 2025
Develop toolkit for capacity building of regional and national stakeholders and deliver capacity building workshops Develop a draft toolkit, present to stakeholders and incorporate their comments and feedback Deliver three training sessions for trainers (national and 24 regional representatives, 3 from each region) and three online sessions for MoEDRY 20 days
January -May 2026 Provide necessary technical expertise to project activities based on the findings of the EU/international comparative review of good practices and the capacity building toolkit Revision of the research plan for the testing of the national methodology for monitoring Roma education segregation
Review of the final report with recommendations for improvement of the existing methodology Review the draft National Roma Education Desegregation Action Plan and provide recommendations for improvement in the line with the EU/international review of good practices. 5 days
July 2025- December 2026 Support presentation of project deliverables, as required for various events, including for the final project event Preparation of presentation
Participation in the event 2 days
December 2026
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
- Advanced degree in one of the following fields is required: international development, human rights, education, or another relevant social science field.
- At least ten years of professional work experience in education/ inclusive education/ inclusion of the most vulnerable groups in education.
- Knowledge and/or experience in conducting research or managing research project.
- Knowledge and/or experience in development of resources/materials for training and delivery of the trainings.
- Good knowledge/understanding of the international/regional framework and key trends in inclusive education and inclusion of the most vulnerable groups in education, and specifically of inclusion of Roma children is an asset
- Good networking and collaboration skills
- Fluent written and spoken English language, with excellent communication and presentation skills
- Ability to be flexible and deliver results under tight deadlines
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).
To view our competency framework, please visit here.
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.
According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.
UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.
Remarks:
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.
The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.
