UNICEF Tajikistan is looking for the qualified consultant to provide technical and coordination support to the MoES and other national stakeholders in advancing the national learning assessment agenda, with a particular focus on national and school-level competency-based summative assessment reform. This support will directly contribute to strengthening assessment systems in alignment with competency-based education (CBE) principles, as defined by national policy and the IsDB/GPE Phase II project.

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For every child, the right to education, 

The Government of Tajikistan is prioritizing the enhancement of a competency-based approach in education by revising the curriculum, strengthening teacher professional development, and reforming the assessment system. In partnership with UNICEF, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), the project titled “Support to National Education Development Strategy for the period until 2030” aims to facilitate these reforms through various activities, achievements, improving teacher training, revising curricula and TLMs for Mathematics and Language, and introducing new assessment strategies.
The second phase of the IsDB/GPE project will focus on deepening the system reforms necessary for making it CBE driven. The Compact Partnership document identifies critical areas requiring transformational change, including curriculum development, teacher preparation, learning assessments, and education management systems. The objective is to integrate CBE practices systematically across all levels of the education system rather than isolating them as separate initiatives, ensuring that reform efforts are owned by national institutions and lead to sustainable improvements.
In line with the National Concept on Quality of Learning approved by the MoES, with the funding from IsDB/GPE will establish a systematic approach to competency-based learning assessment. This analysis will help to identify significant gaps in assessment practices, particularly concerning quality evaluation. To overcome these obstacles, the project will conduct a functional review of the national and school-level summative assessment structures and develop a National and School-level Competency-based Summative Assessment Guide, which will integrate national assessments at school-level and improve data handling capacities through the Education Management Information System (EMIS). By analysing disaggregated data, the project aims to identify learning achievement gaps and support targeted policy interventions to enhance educational outcomes across the board. The Project will enhance the implementation of learning assessment frameworks through pilot programs in schools, mentorship for instructional leaders, and capacity building for teachers. Finally, it will strengthen monitoring and reporting systems 

How can you make a difference? 

The purpose of this national consultancy is to provide technical and coordination support to the MoES and other national stakeholders in advancing the national learning assessment agenda, with a particular focus on national and school-level competency-based summative assessment reform. This support will directly contribute to strengthening assessment systems in alignment with competency-based education (CBE) principles, as defined by national policy and the IsDB/GPE Phase II project.
The key objectives of the consultancy include:
1. Support national coordination and stakeholder engagement in the design and implementation of summative assessment reforms, ensuring alignment between MoES, technical experts, development partners and schools as well as sharing and institutionalization of the best practices.
2. Provide technical expertise for functional review and conduct a comprehensive situation analysis of the existing school-level summative assessment systems across selected subjects and grade levels and testing these systems. This supportive effort will help to identify existing tools, gaps, strengths and weaknesses in current assessment practices, paving the way for informed reform.
3. Support the development, piloting, and institutionalization of a national and school-level Competency-Based Summative Assessment Guide, including feedback mechanisms and tools to promote sustainable and scalable practices.
4. Ensure quality assurance and progress monitoring and reporting throughout the process, contributing to national ownership, capacity building, and iterative improvements of the assessment framework. This will ensure that all assessment processes are transparent, reliable, and aligned with established standards.
The consultant is expected to work in close collaboration with the international consultant and relevant MoES departments and affiliates to ensure contextual relevance, technical soundness, and timely delivery of outputs that will inform national-level policy and practice in learning assessment reform.
As an outcome of this initiative, the consultant is expected to assist in the development and field-testing of a National and School-Level Competency-Based Summative Assessment Framework or Guide. This resource will contain well-defined recommendations aligned with CBE curricula and assessment practices. By promoting an iterative approach, the guide will enable schools to create effective school-based assessments, significantly enhancing teachers’ capacity to design and implement these assessments in a meaningful way.
Description/scope of the assignment:
The national consultant will provide critical technical and coordination support to the UNICEF Tajikistan Country Office, and the MoES in planning, executing, and monitoring the reform of a national and school-based summative assessment practices.  This consultancy requires a blend of technical expertise related to learning assessments, coordination skills, and the ability to navigate complex stakeholder relationships. The consultancy will focus on building national capacity, supporting the co-development of tools, and ensuring evidence-based decision-making to implement a competency-based summative assessment system at the national and school level.
The consultant will work closely with the international and national experts, MoES, affiliated institutions, development partners and other stakeholders to implement the following key tasks:
Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement in Learning Assessments Related Projects and Activities:
1. Coordinate with the assessment working group, subject-specific leads, and other relevant national stakeholders to ensure coherent implementation of the national and school-based summative assessment reform.
2. Maintain an updated mapping of all ongoing learning assessment-related initiatives, including supporting the office in identification of any overlaps and opportunities for synergy.
3. Support in the development of a coherent framework of guiding principles for all learning assessments related activities and initiatives and ensuring the coherent set of guiding principles are applied across all learning assessment related activities, decisions and discussions.
4. Facilitate stakeholder meetings, technical briefings, and inter-agency discussions to align activities with national priorities.
5. Represent the national perspective during coordination meetings, acting as a bridge between local and international partners.
6. Develop and maintain detailed timeline of all assessment related activities and initiatives, provide regular updates to the UNICEF country office on progress, challenges, and achievements.
Technical Support for Mapping, Situation Analysis, and Capacity Development:
1. Assist in the collection and analysis of data on various types of assessments, their frequency, purposes, and interpret data related to current school-based learning assessment practices, with a focus on alignment with curriculum and the CBE principles.
2. Organize and facilitate stakeholder consultations, workshops, and feedback sessions when required.
3. Contribute to the development of the situation analysis report, ensuring it accurately captures the nuances of Tajikistan's assessment systems.
4. Document good practices, identify gaps, and consolidate lessons learned from pilot programs and country contexts.
5. Support the development of sample school-based summative assessments and training materials in collaboration with international and national experts.
6. Support in the translation of terminologies and documents in Tajik/Russian to ensure consistent understanding of assessment of learning in the country context.
Development and Piloting of the National and School-Level Competency-Based Summative Assessment Guide:
1. Support the drafting, validation, and revision of a National and School-Level Competency-Based Summative Assessment Guide in collaboration with international consultants, MoES and key stakeholders.
2. Contribute to the co-development of sample tools, rubrics, and feedback mechanisms aligned with CBE principles.
3. Facilitate the piloting of the Guide in a representative sample of schools and support data collection and analysis of pilot results.
4. Incorporate stakeholder feedback and field test findings into the final version of the Guide to ensure national ownership and practical usability.
5. Support in developing and testing of two continuous professional learning (CPL) courses on learning assessment in coordination with MoES and other stakeholders.
Quality Assurance, Monitoring and Reporting
1. Develop a quality assurance framework/tool, and procedures for monitoring and tracking of progress against set up objectives and indicators of the learning assessment reform efforts.
2. Track progress against deliverables, conduct regular internal monitoring and reporting of relevant activities and suggest course corrections as needed.
3. Prepare comprehensive quarterly progress reports detailing activities, achievements, challenges, and planned next steps.
4. Support the reviews and provide feedback on draft reports, methodologies, and other relevant documents to ensure their relevance and applicability to Tajikistan.
5. Support the documentation of results, including success stories, case studies, and feedback from the field to inform policy dialogue and scale-up.
The national consultant is expected to collaborate closely with the international consultant, MoES and national experts throughout the assignment and ensure that all tools, frameworks, situation analysis and assessment processes, and outputs are adapted to the national context and institutionalized within existing systems.
Work assignment: Tasks/Milestone: Anticipated Timeline: % of payment:
Year 1 (April 2026 – March 2027)
1. Support development and validation of the National and School-level Competency-based Summative Assessment Framework/Guide: - Assist with drafting national and school-based frameworks; - Contribute to stakeholder consultations and validation meetings; 20 w/ds (Apr–May,2026), 10% payment
2. Capacity development and support on assessment item development and piloting. Co-design instruments for piloting and data collection, 45 w/ds (Apr-Jun,2026), 25% payment
3. Technical support for piloting and documenting the results. Support data collection and analysis of pilot results; 25 w/ds (May-June,2026);10% payment
4. Capacity development and technical support on conducting school-level summative assessment and data collection results; 45 w/ds (June-Aug,2026);25% payment
5.Facilitate the finalizing of the National and School-based Summative Assessment Guides and support data collection and analysis of pilot. Support documentation of workshop outcomes; 45 w/ds.
6. Quality Assurance, Monitoring and Reporting.
- Development of quality assurance and monitoring framework and tools; 
Define quality standards, metrics, and evaluation processes;
- Establish feedback mechanisms to inform ongoing reform/10 w/dys (Sep-Dec,2026)/30% payment
Year 2 (April 2027 – March 2028)
1. Coordination and engagement with working groups and stakeholders. Ensure a seamless transition from Year 1 to Year 2 by building upon established foundations and maintaining a coherent, progressive implementation flow; 15 w/days (Apr–May,2027);10% payment
2. Finalization of the National and School-level Competency-based Summative Assessment Framework/Guide.; 45 w/days (May–Aug,2027);20% payment
3.Facilitate the piloting of the NLA Guide and sample of school-level competency-based summative assessments in representative schools and support data collection and analysis of pilot results; 40 w/days (May–Oct,2027); 20% payment
4. Support in developing and testing EMIS capacity in national summative assessment process; 35 w/days (Oct-Dec,2027);15% payment
5. Support in developing and testing of two continuous professional learning (CPL) courses on learning assessment in coordination with MoES and other stakeholders;60 w/days (Oct 2027-Mar,2028)
6. Develop final report with key recommendations for implementation and sustainability of the national and school-level competency-based summative assessment;5 w/days (Mar,2028); 35% payment
Contract duration:
Year 1: 1 April 2026-31 March 2027 (190 w/ds)
Year 2: 1 April 2027-31 March 2028 (200 w/ds)
Total:390 w/ds
If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Terms of Reference here:  Download File ToR IsDB NLA Consultant for advert.docx

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

Minimum requirements:

Education: 

University degree in Education, Public Policy, Social Sciences or other relevant fields with focus on learning assessment

Work experience:

  • Work experience in education sector development, with a focus on learning assessment systems, educational measurement, and evaluation methodologies, preferably in Central Asia including experience in Tajikistan.
  • In-depth knowledge of various types of educational assessments, including national examinations, classroom-based assessments, and international large-scale assessments.
  • Familiarity with international best practices in learning assessment systems and their application in developing country contexts.

Skills:

  • Excellent project management skills, including the ability to coordinate complex multi-stakeholder initiatives and manage relationships with government officials, international organizations, and local education stakeholders.
  • Excellent communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to convey complex technical information to diverse audiences
 Language Requirements: 
  • Fluency in Tajik or Russian languages, English language is asset.
Interested candidates shall submit the following documents:
  • CV/Cover letter
  • Completed EOI form: Download File Annex 2 and Annex 3.docx
  • A technical proposal with proposed approach to managing the consultancy deliverables, showing understanding of tasks. Special attention should be paid to organizing the process of co-development and capacity building.
  • Completed financial proposal for the consultancy in TJS per deliverable, stating also the timeframe for completion of deliverable and/or daily rate in TJS :Download File Annex 3 Financial proposal.docx
  • Examples of previous, relevant work related to the deliverables.
  • Contact of three references (recent direct supervisors)
  • Applications without technical and financial proposals will not be considered.

Applications must be received in the system by 12 March 2026 on UNICEF website.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

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UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

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Remarks:  

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

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