Proposal for Study on Special Educational Needs of Children with Disabilities in South Asia

Request for Proposal for Study on Special Educational Needs of Children with Disabilities in South Asia
Submitted by: Education, UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA)

1. Background/Context of the Consultancy Requirement

Countries of South Asia⁽¹⁾ have made steady and visible progress towards achieving universal primary education. However, about 43 million primary- and lower-secondary age children remain out of school in the region, over half of whom are girls. Also, the progress has not been equitable, or inclusive, and disparities continue to exist at sub-national levels.⁽²⁾ Children with disabilities are particularly vulnerable among those who are not able to exercise their right to quality education. The EFA Global Monitoring Report 2010 identified disability as one of the major reasons for marginalization. The World Disability Report of 2010 states that children with disabilities are less likely to enroll, survive and complete a full cycle of basic education. The report estimates that the gap in primary school attendance rates between disabled and non-disabled children ranges from 10 per cent in India, and 60 per cent in Indonesia. The report further notes that estimates for the number of children (0–14 years) living with disabilities range between 93 million and 150 million globally. The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in a 2012 publication⁽³⁾ estimates the average disability prevalence in South and South-West Asia⁽⁴⁾ at 3.2 per cent with Bangladesh having one of the highest rates at 9 per cent (of whom 15 per cent are aged 0 to 14).⁽⁵⁾

Governments in the region are committed to international conventions such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action.⁽⁶⁾ At a national level, both India and Pakistan have legislation in place that calls for free and compulsory education for all children, requiring governments to also provide education to children with disabilities. Nepal has a draft Education Act for free and compulsory education. Bhutan and Maldives have policies for children with special needs, and the sector-wide education plan for Bangladesh mentions the educational needs of children with disabilities.
However, at least two factors stand in the way of effective implementation and sustained follow up of the positive steps taken by governments in the region, particularly with regard to children with disabilities.

The first factor is limited availability of reliable and recent data and analyses, which masks the nature and magnitude of the situation in most countries of South Asia and prevents better understanding and fine-tuning of policy and programmatic responses. For example, a 2012 UNESCAP Disability Report estimates the disability prevalence rate for India at 2.1 per cent, and Nepal and Sri Lanka both at 1.6 per cent. However, the data is from 2001, while data for Pakistan is from 1998. Bhutan is an exception in the region, as the 2010 multiple indicator cluster survey (MICS) contains data along with a separate analysis.

Also, whatever data is available is generally not disaggregated by sex, although it is recognized that girls encounter serious discrimination in schools which results in lower rates of participation than boys with disabilities (Govinda, R. 2010).

The second factor is low capacity at both national and regional levels, beginning with identifying and characterizing disability on which to base appropriate policies, preparing relevant action plans and strategies, training teachers, developing curricula, monitoring effectively and creating an enabling environment in communities and schools for these children.

Three countries in the region (Bangladesh, Bhutan and Maldives), have requested ROSA support to better understand and address the needs of children with disabilities. As these three countries move closer to universal provision of primary education, the push is now to bring into the education system the last group of children who are marginalized and still out of school, particularly those with disabilities. The regional study on out-of-school children also mentions that the needs of children with disabilities require urgent attention in order to achieve the MDG and EFA goals for education. UNICEF ROSA wishes to respond to country requests and recommendation of the South Asia study on out-of-school children in a structured, systematic manner, as a necessary step towards equitable and inclusive education for all children.

⁽¹⁾ UNICEF South Asia countries are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
⁽²⁾ Figures for Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are from the draft Global Initiative on Out-of-School Children, South Asia Study; UNICEF ROSA 2013; Figures for Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal were calculated from household surveys.
⁽³⁾ Disability at a Glance 2012, UNESCAP 2012.
⁽⁴⁾ The UNESCAP sub-regional grouping includes the eight South Asian countries plus the Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey.
⁽⁵⁾ The disability prevalence rate, which covers all age groups, is based on national definitions and data collection methodologies.
⁽⁶⁾ World Conference on Special Needs Education, UNESCO, 1994

2. Justification

Inadequate data and information about appropriate interventions along with limited capacity of governments and counterparts, are significant barriers that prevent international and national commitments from translating into effective actions. External technical support from experts in the field is thus urgently required to address the special educational needs of children who are excluded due to disability, as this capacity does exist in ROSA at present.
The study will focus on the education of children with disabilities, so that they are educated to the extent possible, in regular classrooms with age-appropriate peers.
Proposals will be requested from short-listed and interested organizations on methodology and approach, and a selection will be made on the basis of technical merit and financial considerations. The tasks under these terms of reference (TOR) will be confined to the three countries that have requested support – Bangladesh, Bhutan and Maldives. The tasks will also take into account and complement as much as possible existing work in relation to UNICEF’s Right, Education and Protection for Children with Disabilities (REAP) programme, and overall UNICEF work in relation to children with disabilities.

3. PCR/IR relevance

PCR 3: Regional Programmes: Regional Support and Inter-country Initiatives contribute to the quality and impact of policy and programmatic actions for the realization of children’s rights in the region in development and humanitarian settings
IR 7: Countries and country offices supported to equitably increase the number of girls and boys benefitting from quality basic education in South Asia

4. Goal/Objectives

Ensure the right to education for all children in South Asia, with a focus on equity and education for children with disabilities.

5. Activities and Tasks/Work Relationship

The study will follow the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’ (CRPD) definition of the term “disability,” which UNICEF uses: “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.” (CRPD, Article 1) Activities under the Study will include but not be restricted to the identification and analysis of needs for technical support by country, based on country visits and literature review including:

• Mapping and compilation of existing data sources, data collection and use which will be used to identify data gaps
• Policies, practices and processes, including budget allocation by government
• Systems and interventions in place for implementation, monitoring and feedback
• Capacity of governments, UNICEF and other counterparts including in the areas of teacher training, curriculum development, human resource development and infrastructure
• Based on an analysis of the above information, make suggestions/recommendations for further technical support by task, priority, duration and timeline per country
• Other topics/tasks as agreed through mutual consultation between the consultants and UNICEF ROSA

6. Output / Results (Deliverables)
• Workplan describing tasks and a timeline
• Outline of the Draft report
• Final report not to exceed 30 single spaced pages per country with an executive summary, annexes and references
• Facilitate a sub-regional workshop for the three countries under study, to be organized by UNICEF ROSA at which individual country reports will be presented, action plans developed and agreed on by each country

7. Estimated Timeline of Completion
Start Date: 15 March, 2013
End Date: 14 August, 2013

8. Qualifications
• An internationally recognized organization/institution with demonstrated track record of high quality work in in children’s education with a focus on children with disabilities
• The team leader will have:
- A postgraduate degree in education, social science, public policy, management or related field
- At least 7 years of work experience in equity and inclusion issues in children’s education with a focus on children with disabilities, preferably in South Asia
- Knowledge of child rights approaches
- Ability to work with governments
- Excellent analytical and writing skills in English
- Sensitivity to diverse opinions and difficulties arising from differing social and cultural perceptions
- Work experience with the UN preferred

9. Working Conditions
- Home-based, with travel to countries as required.

How to apply:

Application Process
Organizations/institutions are required to submit a 2-4 page technical proposal and a budget, describing their approach to supporting the governments of Bangladesh, Bhutan and Maldives to help meet the special educational needs of children with disabilities, identifying critical issues that need to be addressed to have the most positive impact on equity in education in the context of South Asia. All proposals shall include the following:

. Statement of the problem describing the nature and relevance of the task, scope and boundaries, objective and expected outcomes
. Literature review
. Conceptual framework and methodology, including innovations
. Profiles of research organization and members of the proposed team
. Proposed budget for the task

Deadline for submitting the proposal: 20 February 2013

Address for submitting the Proposals: kkrai@unicef.org