Lesotho Basic Education Strengthening Project (BESP) (Лесото - Тендер #47538792)

• Project ID

P175065

• Project Title

Lesotho Basic Education Strengthening Project (BESP)

• Country

Lesotho

• Notice No

OP00254386

• Notice Type

Request for Expression of Interest

• Notice Status

Published

• Borrower Bid Reference

LS-MOSD-386960-CS-INDV

• Procurement Method

Individual Consultant Selection

• Language of Notice

English

• Submission Deadline Date/Time

Oct 26, 2023 16:30

• Published Date

Oct 26, 2023

• CONTACT INFORMATION
• Organization/Department

Ministry of Social Development

• Name

Tsepang Mankhatho Linko

• Address

Private bag A22 Maseru

• City

• Province/State

Lesotho

• Postal Code

• Country

Lesotho

• Phone

+266 62001845

• Email

m_linko@yahoo.com

• Website

www.socialdevelopment.com

Kingdom of Lesotho

MINISTRY OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

LESOTHO BASIC EDUCATION STRENTHENING PROJECT (BESP -P175065)

Terms of Reference

(TORs) for

DATA ENTRY CLERKS

• Background Information

The Government of Lesotho (GoL) through the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) received a grant financing (Grant No.: TF0B7784) from Global Partnership for Education (GPE), amounting to US$7.1m to support the implementation of the Basic Education Strengthening Project (BESP) for a three (3) year period, February 2022 to February 2025. The project aims to improve student retention and teaching quality in junior secondary schools in targeted regions of Lesotho and support the rollout of a new curriculum to strengthen Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) service delivery. The project activities will reflect MoET priorities within the context of the Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) and the accompanying ESSP implementation plan. The project also reflects the Ministry of Social Development’s (MoSD’s) priorities of supporting secondary students from poor and ultra-poor households to stay in school. Moreover, it will build on lessons learned and opportunities arising from earlier ministerial projects, including the Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (LEQEP) and the Social Assistance Project (SAP, P151442). The grant will further support the government in its efforts to improve the quality, efficiency, and equity of basic education service delivery and student retention in targeted schools. BESP will be implemented by MoET and MoSD. The BESP comprises the following three components:

Component 1: Improving learner retention in Grades 8-10 education:

This will be achieved by (i) improving the efficiency of cash transfer schemes for learners from poor households including providing a top up of the Child Grant Program to students in poor councils who transition into the 1st year of secondary schooling; (ii) scaling up implementation of youth clubs for girls and boys; and (iii) strengthening online training models in Mathematics and Science for Grades 8-10 school teachers.

Component 2: System strengthening to improve ECCD service delivery. The objective is to (i) provide structured support to roll out the new ECCD curriculum in reception classes and ECCD centres; and (ii) map ECCD service providers and develop a comprehensive, costed expansion strategy for the ECCD sector.

Component 3: Project management, capacity building and technical assistance. The objective is to provide project management, capacity building and technical assistance in selected areas.

• Specific context for the assignment

The MoSD is already providing the Orphans and Vulnerable Children’s Bursary program (OVC-B) to around 24,000 poor and vulnerable secondary students in Lesotho each year to offset the direct costs (tuition) of going to school. Moreover, the MoSD is also providing close to 50,000 eligible households with children 0-18 year old with a quarterly grant from the Child Grant Program (CGP) if they are poor or ultra-poor according to Lesotho’s National Information System for Social Assistance (NISSA). Many of these poor or ultra-poor households have school age children.

However, although Lesotho has achieved significant results in improving access to junior secondary education over the last five years, student retention across basic education remains a big challenge for the sector with many students, especially those from poor households, drop out of school before completing primary and/or secondary education. The dropout rate across primary grades is particularly high among boys and in rural parts of the country. Nationally, 9 out of 10 girls of the relevant age group access the last grade of primary education (Grade 7), compared to 2 out of 3 boys, which points to low primary completion rate for boys. The cost of going to school is often cited as one of the main reasons for drop out.

Hence, as part of component 1 the project is implementing, on a pilot basis, a program to incentivize students from poor households who are in the last year of primary school (or have already dropped out) to continue onto secondary school. The pilot was selected to start in 16 rural community councils where student drop-out rates and poverty are very high. In the 16 pilot councils, eligible students, will receive an additional ‘top-up’ to the CGP at the beginning and at the middle of the school year if they continue on to the first year of secondary school. It is estimated that around 9,000 students will be supported by the program during the school 2023 school year.

The process of identifying and enrolling the secondary students who are eligible for the OVC-B program in 2023 and for the special CGP top up in the 16 selected BESP councils requires information and data to be collected by data clerks in community councils throughout the country. The data have to be reported to the MoSD in Maseru and organized into the OVC-B database and linked to the CGP database.

To assist with this work the BESP intends to use portion of the proceeds of the BESP Project for hiring of one Data and Information System Officer and 10 data clerks (one in each district) to undertake this work on a timely and accurate basis.

• Objectives of the Assignment

The assignment is to support the improvement of the efficiency of cash transfer schemes for learners from poor households under Component 1 of the Project. Specifically, the Data Entry Clerks will support OVC-Bursary Administrator by entering data for the OVC-B program on registers. Data entry clerk will be expected to prepare, enter, verify, track and ensure accuracy of beneficiary data.

• Scope of Work

Under the supervision of the Bursary Administrator in each district, the Data Entry Clerk is responsible for:

• The Maintenance of database by entering new and updated beneficiary information.
• Sorting, maintaining & verifying the accuracy of data as instructed by the supervisor;
• Processing electronically information from the Claim forms, beneficiary Performance forms & verification results.
• Comparing data entered with source documents,
• Maintaining files & records of OVC-Bursary beneficiaries.
• Assisting regularly the Bursary Administrator to verify the number of benefitting beneficiaries in schools.
• Maintaining beneficiary confidence and protects the Bursary operations by keeping information confidential.
• Verifying entered beneficiary data by reviewing, correcting, deleting, or reentering data & eliminating duplication of data.

5. Qualifications and Work experience

Diploma in IT, statistics or computer studies - Two years of experience with any data processing applications; -

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Requirements:

• Knowledge of English and local language(s) is essential; -
• Good computer skills;
• Accuracy;
• Ability to work under pressure according to tight deadlines;

6. Reporting & Deliverables

Reports to Bursary Administrator – Ministry of Social Development

• Deliverables

Information (indicated in section 4, Scope of Work) processed into electronic database & Management of Records & Files.

8. Location and Period of Execution

The incumbent will be based in one of the ten districts of Lesotho as per the table below, at MoSD offices. The assignment shall be for a period of one (1) year renewable based on performance and business needs.

9. Facilities to be provided by Client

The Ministry shall provide the Data Entry Clerk with the facilities that may be necessary for carrying out the assignments, in accordance with the procedures and standards followed by the Ministry: (a) office accommodation, (b) office furniture, and (c) computer, all accordance with the procedures and standards followed by the Ministry such as logistical support to its Employees. The employee will be responsible for his/her accommodation.

In addition, Data Entry Clerk shall be provided with transport for work-related purposes only during the working hours, unless otherwise arranged with the Ministry.

10. Selection

Interested candidates must send a letter of expression of interest and suitability for the position as well as a Curriculum Vitae, in English, with contact details of three references, before 16:30pm on 13/10/2022 to the following addresses:

Ministry of Social Development

P.O. Box A222

MASERU 100

LESOTHO

Tel: (+266 27003549

Email jahoana006@gmail.com with copy to tlatsask@gmail.com

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