Jordan: Technical Advisory Services and Capacity Development Tools in GIS-based School Mapping for Equity and Rationalization of the Educational Facilities

SOFRECO is in charge for provision of technical advisory services to the Ministry of Education in Jordan. SOFRECO won the contract and is looking for an expert responsible of Technical Advisory Services and Capacity Development Tools in GIS-based School Mapping for Equity and Rationalization of the Educational Facilities Network across Jordan.

SOFRECO is looking for an expert available for short term missions during 9 months. The first mission should begin in April, 2016.

Background :

The Ministry of Education has been looking for sustainable ways to making better informed, strategic and cost-efficient choices in its goal to rationalize its school network system. Considerations have been given to a GIS-based school mapping approach within the Managing Directorate of Education Planning and Research at the MoE but it should be recognized that this initiative falls short in embracing the concept of school mapping which should be viewed beyond a simple reporting tool to be a full-fledged decision support system for the ministry’s dialogue with its donors but more importantly with its political stakeholders and other social partners about school construction or renovation priorities.

This service area aims at strengthening the MoE’s human capacity by establishing on a more institutionalized basis, proper micro-planning services at central and field directorates levels using a state-of-art decision-support GIS-based school mapping tool. More specifically, the goal here is to help the ministry in achieving equity in the delivery of similar quality level of educational services across all Jordan. The implementation of such tool is expected to affect not only a fairer and better prioritized spatial distribution of physical infrastructure and key school equipment but also to provide adequate information for decision-makers to achieve a more balanced allocation of teachers and other learning inputs across the Kingdom.

Responsabilities :

The Contractor will undertake the following Duties and Responsibilities:

In close technical and operational coordination with the OpenEMIS Team, design, pilot-test, train core staff and rollout a web-accessible GIS-based School Mapping System to the MoE building on the existing GIS platform in order to assist the Ministry, on ongoing basis to be able to:

• diagnose and rationalize the spatial distribution of network of schools in order to ensure that each school provides appropriate education levels and/or grades that complement those of nearby schools (in a school clusters approach) rather than having all schools struggling to offer all education levels/grades unnecessarily at the expense of efficiency, leading to over-crowdedness and/or under-utilization of school facilities and pedagogical resources;

• plan appropriate deployments/transfers of teachers in and between schools from one area to another;

• visually highlight pockets of inequities in terms of access to quality educational resources and facilities (libraries and computer training laboratories etc.).

• Provide a simulation or predictive capacity to the MoE to be able to:

• assess virtually the impacts or implications of prospective educational service delivery re-organization strategies, such as double-shifting, multi-grade teaching, reduction of repetition

• inform the MoE on the needs for setting up new and/or revising standards for optimum or acceptable schools catchment area, for space per pupil and class size as well as for exterior/interior learning spaces, such as learning decks and small-group spaces, and water/sanitation facilities

  • forecast the likely increases in student enrolment by grade, based on local demography dynamics, on past trends, on desk-exercise assumptions or on estimates of new entrants into the school system

• locate schools appropriately in order to reduce travel time (or walking time, especially for girls and younger age students)

• establish appropriate learners-friendly architectural design standards sensitive to local climatic and cultural context and eco-sustainable

• project real need for additional or renovation of schools and classrooms in the context seasonal/cyclical or sudden migrants inflows

Expected Output/Deliverables:

• A GIS School Mapping System (integrated to OpenEMIS) designed, pilot-tested and rollout nationwide on the MoE web portal based newly refined MoE standards/norms with full-fledged capabilities for:

  • diagnosing inequities and disparities in the MoE educational service delivery
  • identifying justified needs for new school facilities and other didactical inputs
  • simulating impacts or benefits of prospective policy or standards and norms changes

• Core MoE staff trained in the use of the new GIS School Mapping System

Requirements :

1. Master’s Degree (at least) in Cartography, Computer Science, Applied Statistics and Mathematics, Economics, in Geography with previous experience in school mapping

2. Successful undertaking of at least one previous project of similar scope and nature.

3. Strong GIS skills with two or more GIS application packages

4. Strong programming skills (Macro/C/C++/Visual Basic, etc.)

5. Excellent understanding of policy and statistical analysis pertaining to education indicators

6. Strong skills RDBMS including development skills

7. Excellent trainer

8. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Working Fluency in Arabic is an asset

9. Understanding of cultural and political context of Jordan is an asset.

Candidates are requested to send their CV before January 6, 2016 to Caroline ABSI (caroline.absi@sofreco.com) and Mathilde Nicolai (Mathilde.nicolai@sofreco.com). Please include the position title in the email subject line.