Consultancy for Development of Guidelines on Safe Return to Schools during the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Country: Kenya
• Summary: Consultancy for Development of Guidelines on Safe Return to Schools during the COVID-19 Pandemic
• KET Ref No: 60141059
• Deadline: 03 Dec 2021
• Financier: United Nations Secretariat
• Purchaser Ownership: Government
• Tender Value: Refer Document
• Notice Type: Tender
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• Description:
• Tenders are invited for Consultancy for Development of Guidelines on Safe Return to Schools during the COVID-19 Pandemic. COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on children-s education globally as well as in Africa. According to a 2021 UNICEF report[1], in the period between March 11, 2020 and February 2, 2021, schools have been fully closed for an average of 95 instruction days globally, which represents approximately half the time intended for classroom instruction. The same report finds out that schools for more than 168 million children globally have been closed for almost a full year. While the majority of countries have fully opened schools (53 per cent) and almost a quarter of the world-s countries have partially opened schools, 196 million students in 27 countries (13 per cent globally) have schools that were fully closed as of February 2, 2021. In Africa, the data is concerning with 16 per cent of countries in Eastern and Southern Africa and 13 percent of countries in West and Central Africa with full school closures as of February 2021. COVID-19 pandemic led to nationwide closure of schools across all African countries, varying for periods between 3 weeks to indefinitely. Ethiopia (151) and Uganda (149) are among the top 20 countries with the highest number of days of full school closures (March 2020 - February 2021)[2]. This prolonged school closure resulted in a large number of children to be out of school. Lack of appropriate alternative education system as well as lack of internet services in most African countries exacerbated the problem. The impact of closure of schools is daunting on children as it goes beyond interruption of classes. With closure of schools the right to adequate food might be compromised, in countries where school feeding programs are available. The Continent also witnessed that closure of schools exposed children to sexual violence, abuse, domestic work and child labor, increased teenage pregnancies, child marriage and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). In addition, the digital learning platform which has been adopted by many countries following the outbreak of the pandemic exposes children to online sexual exploitation and abuse. School closures also risk reversing the trend toward higher school participation and better learning outcomes observed over the past two decades in the continent, and they can exacerbate already significant challenges, like the disengagement of children and youth from education[3]. The closure of schools also affected the psychosocial wellbeing of children and their right to play and interact with their peers. Children in vulnerable situations including children with disabilities, children in rural areas, and children living in economically disadvantaged environment were disproportionally affected by the restrictive measures undertaken on Education with a view to contain the transmission of the Covid-19. In recognition of the consequences of COVID-19 on the rights and welfare of children in Africa, and noting the unprecedented nature of the pandemic and the measures taken to curb its spread, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) has among other things, developed a guiding note for African Union Member States on measures to be taken to ensure respect for children's rights during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ACERWC in particular called upon Member States of the African Union, as the principal duty-bearers under the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, in collaboration with partner organizations, to uphold the right to education[4] by ensuring that the impact of the pandemic is minimized on accessing, transitioning, and completing education; creating platforms to facilitate tailored learning activities at home for children; taking deliberate action to redeem the lost academic time; responding to the needs of children with disabilities; planning for reopening of schools, including by establishing mechanisms to ensure retention of all children and in particular children in vulnerable situations, such as girls at risk, children with disabilities, children affected by conflicts, children who belong to economically disadvantaged backgrounds and children living in rural areas. Despite efforts by African governments to reopen schools, many children have not been able to go back to school due to lack of funds, COVID-19 related illnesses and death of caregivers, pregnancies, child marriage, joining the labor market and risk of exposure to Covid-19. Lack of Personal Protective Equipments including masks, sanitizers, water, and soap, and in some instances lack of enough facilities such as classrooms and/or desks to guarantee social distancing increase the risk of Covid-19 thereby discouraging children from resuming schools. Following up on its recommendations to ensure every child-s right to education during COVID-19 pandemic and existing challenges in re-opening of schools, the ACERWC during its 37th ordinary session, decided to develop guidelines and strategies to assist governments in ensuring safe return of children to school during the COVID-19 pandemic. To this effect, the ACERWC is collaborating with Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI), to develop Guidelines on safe return of children to school during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, the ACERWC is looking for a consultant or group of consultants to undertake this assignment.
• Documents:

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