National Programme Officer for Education – Health and Wellbeing
JOB DETAIL
OVERVIEW
Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)
Duty Station: Dhaka
Classification of duty station: [[filter12]]
Standard Duration of Assignement : [[filter13]]
Job Family: Education
Type of contract : Non Staff
Level : Level 4
Duration of contract : 1 year
Recruitment open to : External candidates
Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 10/10/2023
UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism
OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST
Access to a comprehensive health information and services at a young age is an urgent need. Poor health and malnutrition are important underlying factors for low school enrollment, absenteeism, poor classroom performance and early school dropout. Programmes to achieve good health, hygiene and nutrition at school age are essential to promoting basic health for all children and establishing lifelong healthy behaviors. Therefore, schools are the primary institution in providing healthy, safe, supportive learning environments that provide the foundation for learners to grow, learn and become healthy, educated and engaged citizens. Evidence shows that a comprehensive school health programme is a holistic approach to making every school a health-promoting school, which can be achieved by building a health-promoting education system, and developing and implementing a comprehensive school plan involving teachers, students and communities.
Bangladesh signed the regional Call for Action: Making every school a health-promoting school in New Delhi in 2021. “Physical-Mental Health and Well-being” has become one of the ten key learning areas in the new competency-based national curriculum framework adopted in 2021. The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) has developed textbooks and teacher guidebooks for grades 6-8 on health and well-being. NCTB will complete the textbooks and teacher guidebooks for other grades soon.
Although health and well-being have been integrated into the textbooks and curriculum, teachers are yet to be trained to roll out the health and well-being curriculum in the classroom. The faculty members and trainers of NAEM are not well-oriented on the global standards of health and well-being addressing violence, social stigma, gender, inclusion and psychosocial-related contents and activities. Most schools do not have a comprehensive package to address all needs, such as health, nutrition, psychosocial support, well-being, and life skills education. The school management committees, parents and communities are not fully oriented on contributing to health and well-being related activities.
In close consultation and discussion with the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), NAEM, NCTB and other UN agencies (WHO, UNFPA, UNAIDS and UNICEF), UNESCO Dhaka Office will support the Government of Bangladesh to contextualise the global guiding tools and indicators on health-promoting schools, capacitate government officials, faculty members/master trainers of NAEM, and develop and implement health-promoting school action plans in model schools.
The project titled “Making every school a health-promoting school” aims to build a model of health-promoting schools and enable all schools to replicate good practices from the model schools. The activity will contribute to the implementation of the new curriculum on health and well-being in line with the global standards on HPS.
MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Under the overall guidance and strategic direction of the Head of the UNESCO Dhaka Office and the direct supervision of the Education Programme Specialist, the incumbent will support the implementation of the project “Making every school a health-promoting school in Bangladesh”, with the technical support from UNESCO’s Section for Health and Education. Key responsibilities include:
Technical Support
- Contribute to the provision of policy advice and technical assistance to the education ministries in implementing the national curriculum framework, with a particular focus on health and well-being subject.
- Collaborate with subject-matter experts, educators, and researchers to ensure the accuracy and relevance of health education materials developed under the project.
Project Management
- Develop a detailed work plan and budget for the project in consultation with the government implementation partners.
- Coordinate the implementation of the activities planned under the project.
- Develop a monitoring and evaluation framework to assess the effectiveness and impact of the project.
- Regularly review project outcomes and make recommendations for continuous improvement.
- Support project periodic and final financial and narrative reporting.
Long Description
Networking, Partnerships and Resource Mobilisation
- Contribute to the mobilisation and coordination of partners working on health education.
- Represent UNESCO at relevant national forums and advocate for the importance of health education.
- Establish and maintain partnerships with relevant stakeholders, including governments, civil society, and international organisations, to amplify the impact of health education initiatives.
- Engage donors in project activities to mobilise resources with a view to increasing the depth and reach of activities on health education and ensuring project continuity and sustainability.
Visibility and Knowledge Management
- Develop a communication and visibility plan for the health-promoting project in Bangladesh.
- Stay updated on the latest trends, research and best practices in health education and related education topics.
- Contribute to knowledge sharing by producing reports, policy briefs, and publications on health education and other topics.
Long Description
COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)
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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education
- Advanced University degree (Masters or equivalent) in public health, education, social sciences, or a related field.
Work Experience
- Minimum five years of relevant experience in health education, school health program development or related areas.
Skills & Competencies
- Experience in designing and implementing educational programs and materials.
- Excellent coordination, interpersonal and negotiation skills, as well as an ability to network with a range of partners, donors and other stakeholders.
- Proven ability to draft high quality, clear, concise documents and reports.
- Excellent presentation skills and ability to communicate effectively and persuasively in a multicultural environment.
- Ability to raise funds and mobilise resources and develop project proposals for donors.
- Good IT skills.
Languages
Excellent knowledge (written and spoken) of English and Bangla.
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
Education
PhD degree or equivalent in public health, education, social sciences, or a related field.
Work Experience
- Proven experience in formulating and supporting implementation and monitoring of national school-health-related policies and programmes.
Skills & Competencies
- Familiarity with the work and functioning of the UN System, including key mechanisms such as the UNSDCF, UN Country Team (UNCT) mechanisms, Delivering as One (DAO) and UN Joint Programming and UN inter-agency initiatives.
- Knowledge of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
BENEFITS AND ENTITLEMENTS
UNESCO Salaries in Dhaka are paid in Bangladeshi Taka (BDT). The annual remuneration for the post is BDT 3,136,232. UNESCO Service Contract benefits include 30 days of annual leave as well as a contribution to the pension scheme and health insurance upon proof of inscription.
SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the UNESCO careers website. No modifications can be made to the application submitted.
The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based interview.
UNESCO uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.
Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided.
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