The Ugandan Jobline

Job Title:   Inclusive Education (Early Childhood Development) Technical Officer

Organisation: Humanity & Inclusion (Handicap International)

Project Name: INnovative and inCLUsive accelerated eDucation programmE for refugee and host community children (INCLUDE) project

Duty Station:  Terego, Uganda

Reports to: Project Manager

Gross Salary: UGX 3,276,469 – 3,680,921 /=

Length of Contract: Until 31^St December 2023

Start Date: As soon as possible

 

About US:

Co-recipient of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, Humanity & Inclusion (the new name of Handicap International) is a 40-year-old independent and impartial organization working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. We work alongside people with disabilities and individuals experiencing extreme hardship, taking action and bearing witness to respond to their essential needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights.

 

HI in Uganda is currently implementing development and humanitarian interventions in six sectors/thematic areas: Livelihood, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), Physical and Functional Rehabilitation, Inclusive Education, Inclusive Health, and Inclusive Humanitarian Action (IHA) to improve access and quality of services to the most vulnerable people including persons with disabilities promoting a more inclusive and harmonious society

 

The Project

Uganda hosts 1,521,424 refugees (UNCHR February 2023). Gross enrolment of children in pre-primary, primary and secondary education remains low at 53%, ranging from 43% for pre-primary, 91% for primary and only 10% for secondary (UNHCR, Education Dashboard Term 3 2022). Among the total enrolment of 507,957 (refugees and nationals), children with disabilities are 17,139, representing 3.37%. This figure is low considering that in Uganda, 13.6% of persons aged 5 years and above have functional difficulties1 and globally, at least 10% of children have disabilities.2 The Education Response Plan for Refugees and Host-Communities (ERP) II and the Multi-Year Resilience Programme linked to the ERP II emphasize the importance of improved access and retention to inclusive learning and training opportunities for all, including children with disabilities.

 

HI is part of the Uganda Education Consortium (U-EC) led by Save the Children (SCI), and implementing 1) MYRP II project funded by the Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and 2) INnovative and inCLUsive accelerated eDucation programmE for refugee and host community children (INCLUDE) project Phase III, funded by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), to contribute to the implementation of ERP II and MYRP II.

 

The consortium will enable conflict-affected children (refugees/host communities, boys/girls, children with disabilities and out-of-school children) to access safe and inclusive formal and non-formal learning opportunities and supports them to attend and remain in school (Result 1). Learners enrolled in formal and non-formal education (including AEP) will be supported by teachers with improved competencies and demonstrate improved learning outcomes (Result 2). District Local Government and School Leadership and Management capacities in the target communities will be strengthened to support better and supervise safe and inclusive learning environments that generate improved learning outcomes (Result 3).

 

Job Summary:  The overall objective of the Inclusive Education (Early Childhood Development) Technical Officer (IE-ECD TO) is to ensure that MYRP II project will be implemented, and its objectives will be achieved in an inclusive manner, reaching and providing learners with disabilities with inclusive and targeted support as required, in the Imvepi Refugee Settlement.

 

The IE-ECD TO will provide technical support to the U-EC MYRP II partners in implementing inclusive education activities in pre-primary and primary schools. The position is especially responsible for ensuring quality inclusive interventions in ECD centres, including the transition of children with disabilities from ECD to primary schools.

 

The IE-ECD TO will receive technical guidance from IE-CBO, IEA and the HI Regional Inclusive Education Specialist. The position will also collaborate with HI’s project staff including the PM, PTs, OTs, and CBFs in the targeted settlements to ensure quality multi-sectoral interventions with support from HI regional and country staff (e.g., Regional Rehabilitation Specialist, country MEAL manager, country MHPSS Specialist).

U-EC partner organizations for ECW funded MYRP II in Imvepi include; International Rescue Committee (IRC) responsible for ECD; Plan International and Education Local Expertise Centre Uganda (ELECU) for primary schools; War Child Holland (WCH) and TPO Uganda for MHPSS services.

 

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Provides guidance and technical support to U-EC led projects at the school and district levels, in accordance with the overall technical frameworks and standards concerning inclusive education

Provide day-to-day technical support to U-EC partners (including HI team). This will include but not limited for U-EC to (see also competencies below);

• Identify, analyse and respond to barriers in ECD centres and schools to ensure inclusion of vulnerable children and children with disabilities, and identify existing services and resources
• Understand and improve the level of knowledge and skill of ECD facilitators and teachers, head teachers and education authorities concerning inclusive education practices
• Provide individualized educational support to children with disabilities, in close coordination with the education officers of U-EC partners and HI OTs. Ensure well-coordinated multi-sectoral interventions (with PT and PSS)
• Review and adapt tools and materials concerning teachers’ continuous professional development, remedial and catch-up program for learners, classroom observation tools, coaching and mentoring activities, social behavioural change activities, and any other approaches and tools, to ensure they are inclusive, accessible, and relevant
• Support disability inclusion in the classroom arrangements and procurement (e.g., teaching and learning materials, play materials)
• Coordinate and align with national policies and local initiatives focused on disability inclusion and inclusive education.
• Ensure disability inclusive MEAL

Monitor and ensure that the project(s) activities are implemented according to quality and technical standards.

• Propose adaptation of project documentation as required in accordance with technical norms and standards
• Submit weekly reports of the project activities to the PM, IEA or the specialist
• If relevant, ensure coordination and collaboration with the technical partners of the project at the school and district level, as delegated by PM, IEA or the specialist.

Provides technical learning from projects

• Contribute to identification of barriers and capacity gaps, in collaboration with U-EC partners and HI project team and report
• Contribute to projects’ capitalization and ensure technical learning, under the responsibility of the PM, IEA and technical specialists, based on critical reflection of good practices, local initiatives, and experiences in the field
• Propose adjustments or improvements of the technical quality of project activities, through critical reflections from day-to-day work, with the PM, IEA and technical specialists

Contributes to ensuring HI’s technical influence on inclusive education and disability inclusion

• Contributes to the influence of HI’s expertise: can represent HI’s technical expertise in relevant local networks and with local partners at the school and district level, as delegated by PM, IEA or the specialist. Submit report/feedback.
• Identify and develop partnerships with community structures, local NGOs, institutions, and relevant actors

Ensure planning and field coordination of project activities with internal team and external stakeholders

• Participate in the project inception; daily, weekly, and monthly planning meeting; technical meetings, case reviews, and regular project reviews (ISPR, BSS, Lessons Learned, etc.)
• Coordinate activities with the PM, IEA, technical specialists, and project team (PT, OT, and CBFs in project settlements and the roving IE-CBO), ensuring coordinated activity implementation within the project’s scope and HI procedures and standards.
• Contribute to quality reporting prepared by the PM to CMU, on activities by HI and U-EC partners.
• Draft quality “human interest” stories and other testimonies and submit them to PM, IEA and the technical specialists for approval and submission to Hinside, and the social media platform.
• Participates in capacity building and mandatory HI training allocated to staff in-country

Respect for HI identity, rules and policies

• Know, understand, apply and respect the HI code of conduct and ethics, HI mandate and values, HI rules and operating procedure, HI policies (child protection policy, policy and mechanism for the prevention of and fight against bribery, the protection of beneficiaries from sexual exploitation and abuse policy) and make sure the project team also adhered to them.
• Know, understand, apply and respect HI security rules and ensure they are known, understood and applied by her/his team.

Emergency preparedness and response

• Contributes to the program’s emergency preparedness actions and, during an emergency, adapts his/her work modality to contribute to HI’s effective humanitarian response.

 

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in education (ECD), child development, family studies, or another relevant technical field
• At least five years’ proven experience as a pre-school teacher (community, public or private) for children with disabilities (both development and/ or in emergency). Experiences in other countries is a plus.
• Working with an NGO (local/international)
• Working with Organizations of Persons with Disabilities
• Working with education authorities (e.g., MOES, DEO)
• Extensive knowledge of early and holistic development of children with disabilities

 

Desirable:

• Knowledge in different schools of thought and explanatory models of disability and the application of certain tools
• Knowledge in international human rights frameworks
• Knowledge frameworks and mechanisms of international development cooperation and humanitarian assistance
• Knowledge in strategies for fighting exclusion and discrimination

 

Personal Skills & Technical Competencies required

• Ability to assess educational needs of children with disabilities, through effective communication with parents
• Ability to design and implement appropriate curricula, applying Universal Design to Learning and fun activities
• Using various teaching and play methods to keep children engaged, and proposing reasonable accommodations, to promote holistic development of children with disabilities
• Developing an Individualized Education Plan in a participatory manner with parents, teachers/ECD facilitators, U-EC partner staff, HI team (PT, OT), etc, with concrete and feasible personalized goals
• Taking care of naps, snacks, toileting, and other needs of children with disabilities
• Developing a transitional plan from ECD to primary schools, and from special needs unit to mainstream classroom
• Monitoring, mentoring and coaching for U-EC partner staff and teachers/ECD facilitators
• Ability to propose new resources, aids and materials or adapting existing ones in order to improve them
• Capable of ensuring safe and enabling learning environments
• Planning activities by setting clear, specific and measurable objectives
• Meeting deadlines
• Managing problems and conflicts
• Respecting professional and organizational ethics in working with children, families, colleagues and partners
• Good communication skills in spoken and written English. Knowledge of Sign Language is an advantage.
• Taking initiatives and being autonomous
• Working as part of a team/network, cooperating
• Analytical, critical and problem-solving
• Respect for the opinion and enhancement of the skills of others with a view to shared action
• Showing interest in what each person is experiencing and feeling, putting oneself in the other person’s shoes, listening to his/her needs, being accepting rather than judgemental
• Ability to give and receive constructive feedback
• Resilience to stress and uncertainty
• Computer literate – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Internet Browsing

 

Application Process

• Humanity and Inclusion is an Equal Opportunity Employer, we encourage females and persons with disabilities to apply to become a part of our organization. HI provides the reasonable accommodation to facilitate work processes for Persons with Disability
• HI staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the Code of Conduct. In accordance with these values, HI operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti-fraud, bribery, and corruption.
• HI does not solicit funds in exchange for employment opportunities.

 

How to Apply:

If you feel you meet the requirements, please send an updated CV (3 pages max, including three professional referees current and/or past line managers) with a cover letter to HR department at recruitment@uganda.hi.org indicating the position applied for in the subject line

 

NB: Any efforts to influence the recruitment process will lead to automatic disqualification. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

 

Deadline: 16^th June 2023 by 11:59pm

 

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