Safe school research consultant

Background

Plan has received funding from Sida to implement “Strengthening Children’s Voices in Promoting Safe School project” from November 2011 – December 2013 in three countries. The project goal is “Children in the most at-risk communities in Cambodia, China, Indonesia have access to safer education through duty bearers minimizing the impact of disasters on their right to quality education with the support of civil society” through three core approaches: Plan’s Child Centered Disaster Risk Reduction approach, Plan’s partnership approach, and Plan as one of the global leaders on safe schools. The project has three purposes: 1) to promote a culture of school safety in the project target countries and regionally by advocating policies, regulations, and guidelines at all decision-making levels on structural safety, 2) to embed the participation of children in the local and national process of establishing safe schools in the target countries and 3) to strengthen the role of civil society organizations to lead in developing and monitoring disaster risk reduction and preparedness measures in schools through capacity building and networking both in-country and regionally.

Objective

The overall objective of the research is to examine what taking a child rights approach to School Safety means in terms of a child’s access to quality education. This research seeks to understand the child rights to quality education and school safety from the perspective of children’s experiences and those of their communities, and what does it mean for Plan which links to Plan’s Child Centered Disaster Risk Reduction approaches and national level advocacy work. To support the latter, this research will conduct a School Safety policy processes review at the national level in the three countries (Cambodia, China and Indonesia) to investigate the government arrangements that provide opportunities for greater consideration to minimize impacts of disasters on children.

More specifically the research project seeks to address to following:

• Why School Safety is important to promote child rights to quality education? How School Safety can contribute to fulfill the child rights to quality education in disaster prone areas?
• What are the roles of teachers, school directors and administration staff, school management committees and local government disaster management committees in Cambodia, China and Indonesia regarding to school safety?
• What are the roles of CSOs in supporting the School Safety? What are the advantages and disadvantages to involve CSOs in implementing the School Safety? What are the relationship between CSOs and government to support the School Safety initiatives?
• What are values added for children (boys and girls) participation in School Safety?
• How to engage marginalized children/groups in the School Safety?
• What policy processes and government arrangement at the national level can ensure that the School Safety interventions are well adopted and implemented?
• What are the best practices and lesson learnt on School Based Disaster Risk Management in the countries within the Asia Region?

Methodology/tools

The research is to be conducted with key stakeholders and informants at different levels including in Plan’s field locations. It will be conducted in close collaboration with Plan Country Offices in Cambodia, China and Indonesia and the communities they work with. A combination of participatory research methodologies will be used.

Stakeholder and policy analysis will also be conducted at national, regional and global level to assess the relevant policy processed concerning School Safety and Child Rights to quality education.

Further methodological detail including research questionnaires is to be established by the consultant in consultation with Plan regional and country offices in Cambodia, China and Indonesia.

For the best practices and lesson learnt on School Safety collection, the consultant will send the case studies format to each country in the Asia region to complete.

Consultant task and activities

• Elaboration of the work plan
• Literature review about the School Safety and Child Right to quality education
• Conduct policy analysis at the national level in Cambodia, China and Indonesia to link with regional and global school safety policies, framework or guidelines
• Conduct field research in Cambodia, China and Indonesia
• Best practices and case studies collection on school based disaster risk management in the countries in Asia
• Field reports with the gathered information
• Document findings and analysing the information
• Feedback meeting on the draft report
• Writing the final report

Consultant qualifications

The consultant must fulfill the following requirements:

• Bachelors or Master degree in Development, Research Methods or related fields
• Experience of leading a research team, including supervising Research Assistants
• Familiarity with a range of participatory research methods
• Background in Disaster Risk Reduction and/or School Safety related fields that consider school and community based vulnerabilities reduction and disaster resilience
• Knowledge of the international school safety initiatives
• Knowledge of School Based Disaster Management approaches and national Disaster Risk Reduction/School Safety strategies
• Experience of working with, or familiarity with the work of, child-centred development agencies. Ideally the consultant will have conducted research work in which children have been active participants.
• Working experiences in Cambodia, China, and/ or Indonesia is an advantage.
• Demonstrable experience of conducting policy and practice-oriented research that has considered rights and inclusion of marginalized groups in policy processes (e.g. poverty reduction strategies) and development programmes.
• Familiarity with, and some experience of, rights-based approaches, human rights approaches, broad knowledge of the international human rights regime, and of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child in particular.