Technical Assistance - ECE Mapping

JOB DETAILS Type of contract : Consultancy Level : Level 3 Hiring Unit : Education Sector Duty Station : Apia Work location : Samoa Duration of contract : 3 months Hiring open to : Open Application deadline (Midnight UTC+13 Time) : 10th June 2026 UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism PROJECT DESCRIPTION The Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) is leading the implementation of the System Transformation Grant Project (STG) – ‘A maua’a Fa’avae o ataata lelei na o ā Taeao: Quality Foundations to Prosperous Futures Project’, with UNESCO serving as the Grant Agent. The Project is a USD 2.5 million education reform initiative funded by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). The Project prioritizes teacher development, gender equality, inclusion, and community participation, ensuring interventions are holistic, evidence-based, and responsive to the diverse and intersecting needs of all Samoan learners. This is a four-year Project that focuses on three key domains: (i) early childhood education (ECE) and transitions to primary, (ii) foundational learning in primary schooling, and (iii) secondary-level technical and vocational education and training (TVET) pathways. The Project goals and outcomes align with education priorities identified in international, regional, and national development strategies, including: the United Nations 2030 Agenda (Sustainable Development Goal 4); the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent; the Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF) 2018–2030; Samoa 2040; the Pathway for the Development of Samoa (2021–22 to 2025–26); and the Samoa Education Sector Plan (ESP) 2025– 2030. The Project involves broad collaboration across the education sector, including the National University of Samoa (NUS), the Samoa Qualifications Authority (SQA), national education institutions and training providers, and development partners. CONSULTANCY RATIONALE The Project aims to build a cohesive, inclusive education system in Samoa, where quality learning pathways are accessible to all learners, founded on quality early childhood education through to vocational training and beyond. The ECE is a core component of the Project, reflecting on the significant challenges faced by the ECE sub-sector. Participation remains low, with data from 2017–2021 showing a Gross Enrollment Rate (GER) of just 25.6% and a Net Enrollment Rate (NER) of 23.8%. In addition, the ECE subsector records 123 centers currently overseen by the National Council for Early Childhood Education (NCECES), while the total number of unregistered ECE Centers remains uncertain. While all ECE Centers are a key priority of the Project, there is a specific focus on unregistered ECE Centers, hence the need for a comprehensive mapping of all unregistered ECE Centers, as holistic and inclusive data on access, participation, and quality, across all ECE Centers including registered Centers, is essential to build an ECE subsector that is effectively planned and costed, coordination is enhanced, and stakeholders’ capacities to implement and monitor ECE strategies are effectively reinforced. The Project has made provision to enable a comprehensive mapping exercise that engages professional expertise to lead, design a mapping framework, collect and analyse the data, and report on the landscape and profiles of unregistered ECE Centers across Samoa, through a Consultancy mechanism. CONSULTANCY OBJECTIVE Consultancy Objective Under the guidance and close consultation with the MEC through its Policy, Planning and Research Division (PPRD) this Consultancy Assignment is expected to. - Conduct a comprehensive mapping of all (ECE Centers with a focus on) unregistered ECE Centers across Samoa - In alignment with the ECE Minimum Service Standards, document the status, condition and profile of the unregistered ECE Centers, including providers, infrastructure, governance, staffing, enrolment and learning environments