Background
The United Nations Girls Education Initiative (UNGEI) is a 10-year inter-agency initiative, with UNICEF designated as the lead agency, launched by the Secretary-General in April 2000 at the World Education Forum in Dakar. UNGEIs goal is to improve the quality and availability of girls education in support of the gender-related EFA goals and MDGs of eliminating the gender gap in primary and secondary education originally set for 2005, and ensuring that by 20151, all children, girls and boys alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling and have equal access to all levels of education. The initiative in different countries around the world provides stakeholders with a platform for action and assists in creating synergies and networks to get girls in school. Country specific plans are developed addressing the needs of the right holders at the country level.
Pakistan is off track for achieving universal primary education by 2015. The country accounts for a significant share of the global out-of-school problem. Failure to tackle gender disadvantages that intersect with poverty and regional differences is at the heart of the problem. Gender parity and gender equality are clearly reflected as one of the six Education For All (EFA) goals elucidated in the Dakar Framework for Action, These goals are also targeted as essential to fulfill goal 3 of the Millennium development Goals. Pakistan ranks 126 in comparison to India and Bangladesh that rank 114 and 100 on the Gender Gap Index that assesses countries on how well they are dividing their resources and opportunities among their male and female populations, regardless of the overall levels of these resources and opportunities.
Purpose of the Post
Pakistan Girls Education Initiative is a bottom up structure that evolved as a result of three years of advocacy and social mobilization. Under the guidance and close supervision of Provincial Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and UNICEF, the incumbent will provide professional and administrative support to achieve the planned objectives of Gender in Education initiatives within the Education Sector through partnerships with a range of stakeholders across governments, civil society, donor community, academia, and media. He/she will act proactively to achieve the goal of evidence-based, gender responsive policy making, planning and is ripe and ready to be harnessed to make the promise of quality education an enduring reality for the children of Pakistan in general and KP in particular.
Responsibilities
Review education policy from gender perspective and based on the findings prepare policy brief;
Coordinate with different stakeholders including government, academia, Civil Society Organizations, media and establish a network for policy advocacy;
Assist the Ministry of Education, provincial and district departments of education with strategies to implement activities to increase enrollment, retention and completion of primary cycle of girls;
Strengthen national political commitment to improve the scenario of girls education in the country through formation of Parliamentarian Caucus for Gender in Education;
Assist capacity building of stakeholders in gender in Education;
Support Knowledge Management with identification of gaps in research and collation of existing knowledge;
Assist in stimulating intellectual debate among the education and gender academia, and encourage dissertation students and researchers to undertake research in the field of gender and education;
Prepare monthly/quarterly and annual progress reports.
Deliverables
Policy review and preparation of policy brief;
Formation of parliamentarian Caucus;
Reactivation and strengthening of Working group on gender in Education;
Documentation of good Practices in gender in Education;
Working closely with Girls Guide and Boys Scouts for Up-scaling young champion initiatives for girls education;
Reporting and documentation.
Duty Station
Provincial Education Department, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Required Skills
