INOVASI 3 - Supportive School Toolkit Consultant

Background of the Project:
Australia is a long-term supporter of the Indonesian basic education sector, with continuous investments supporting education quality improvements for the past two decades, including through the INOVASI program (Phase 1 2016-2020; Phase 2 2020-2023) that focused on supporting acquisition of literacy and numeracy foundational skills in early grades classrooms; exploring local problems and solutions; and generating evidence to inform government policy development and practices.
This third phase of INOVASI (2024-2027) builds upon the existing program’s approach and lessons learned and takes the focus on the development of foundational skills through to the end of the primary grades. Phase 3 will engage with priority issues of Australia’s development policy: gender equality, effective inclusion of children with a disability, responses to the climate change challenge in education. One of the key issues INOVASI is addressing is the significance of providing and education free from gender bias.
Indonesia achieved gender parity in the Net Enrolment Rate (NER) at the primary level (1.0) in 2019. This significant achievement followed improvements over decades to education policy and programs that included a strong focus on gender mainstreaming. However, parity is a surface measure. Underneath this, Indonesia has been slower to effectively address the more nuanced gender issues that affect the quality of the learning environment for girls and boys. Key gendered constraints include persistent gender bias and stereotypes in teaching practices and learning materials. Whether explicitly or implicitly presented, gendered social norms shape a child’s perceptions and attitudes towards behaviors for males and females and influence their aspirations. The Ministry of Education Pocketbook on Gender Mainstreaming notes that “stereotypes and sexism limit girls potential growth and development because internalizing negative stereotypes impacts their self-esteem and ultimately academic performance”. National data (BPS 2022-2023) shows gender differences in means years of schooling, with boys attaining 9.03 years of schooling compared to girls at 8.48.
As part of the efforts to address this issue, INOVASI, in Phase 2, developed a toolkit aimed at creating safe and supportive school environments. Following the trial results, it was determined that the toolkit needs several revisions to better enhance the understanding of teachers and school principals, who will use the toolkit, in fostering gender bias-free learning.
INOVASI Phase 3 is implemented in 25 districts and cities across Indonesia, in the provinces of West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, North Kalimantan, East Java, West Java, and Maluku. The program also works in Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN).
The Program is managed by Palladium on behalf of the Government of Australia through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Purpose of the Position:
Under the direction of the Gender and Child Protection Lead, The Consultant of Supportive School Toolkit will coordinate with the Gender and Child Protection Adviser, INOVASI teams and with counterparts to continuously review the refinement of supportive school toolkit to provide practices of effective classroom management in fostering gender bias-free learning. The role is a cross-cutting role that requires a flexible and integrated way across INOVASI teams to ensure that programs and inputs are well coordinated and synergistic across the program. They will identify gaps, challenges and opportunities across program and provinces, along with strengthening internal organizational culture.

Duties:
Under the direction of Gender and Child Protection Lead,the Consultant of Supportive School Toolkit will:

Review and assess the existing toolkit for supportive schoolsConduct literature review on gender-bias free learning as references to improve the content of toolkitIdentify areas of improvement and make recommendations for revisions to enhance the toolkit's effectiveness.Collaborate with INOVASI team, teachers, principals, and subject matter experts to gather feedback and insights through focus group discussions or field observation if necessary.Integrate best practices and evidence-based strategies into the toolkit including refining the toolkit outline and structure as needed.Ensure the toolkit is user-friendly and accessible for teachers and school principals through readability/trial tests.Develop training materials and resources to support the socialization of the revised toolkit if needed.

Duration of the contract/Timeline:

The duration of the contract is from March 2025 until July 2025 with maximum 50 of billable workdays, with a possible of extension subject to satisfactory performance assessment.

Qualifications and Experience:
The Supportive School Toolkit Consultant will possess the following qualifications and experience:

Degree in relevant field in the Education, Gender Studies, Sociology, or a related field;Minimum of 6 years' experience in educational research, curriculum development, and gender studies.Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.Ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders such as teachers, principals, or government officer.Proficiency in curriculum development, instructional design and development of training materials.Familiarity with educational equity and inclusion principles.Expertise in gender studies and educational equity.Strong research and analytical skills.

Working with children
Is this position likely to come into contact with children?                ☒ Yes             ☐  No

Application closes on 3 March 2025

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion - Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.
Women are encouraged to apply