Terms of Reference: The State of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Tvet) in Lesotho
1.0 Background
The Education Out Loud (EOL) program – is a Global Partnership for Education’s (GPE) funded program with the goal of strengthening civil society advocacy and influencing work in education policy processes, to better meet the needs of communities, especially of vulnerable
and marginalized populations by promoting inclusion and learning, enhance accountability and transparency in education policy and create an enabling global and transnational environment for civil society engagement. It is resourced by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE)
(www.globalpartnership.org) and managed by Oxfam Denmark (www.educationoutloud.org).
The Government of Lesotho (GoL) is committed to accelerate economic growth and improve the welfare of Basotho. The Technical and Vocational Department (TVD) is established by TVT Act 0f 1984 in the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) is charged with the
responsibility for Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Lesotho. The mandate of this department is to develop skilled workforce for industry to alleviate poverty which has hit the country today (LTVET Policy 2020). There are other two supporting documents: SDG
4 Quality Education that aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. This goal supports the reduction of disparities and inequities in education, both in terms of access and quality. The second is National Strategic
Development Plan (NSDP II) 2016-2026 which was subsequently developed in pursuit of economic and institutional transformation for private sector-led job creation and inclusive growth.
To support the government’s agenda of creating jobs and promoting inclusive growth, Lesotho Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (LCN) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) is striving to develop a study that will assist in determining
the current state of TVET in Lesotho. The specific objective of the study is to assist the Ministry with establishing the current state of TVET in Lesotho and to align provision with technological and global trends. The aim of this study is to unveil the challenges hindering the
progression of TVET with an objective to address the existing gap of mismatch between skills provided by the training institutions and the needs of the industry. In this regard, a structured partnership will be established between MoET and LCN.
2.0 Objective
The main objective of this assignment is to conduct research to understand and draw the current state of vocational, technical, and artisanal education in Lesotho and make recommendations to mitigate challenges. This will provide baseline indicators and enable informed advocacy.
The intention is to procure a consultant to achieve this objective.
3.0 Scope of work
Working closely with MoET and LCN, the Consultant is expected to establish the state of TVET in Lesotho in the following:
(i) Governance and Administration
(ii) TVET financing
(iii) Relevance
(iv) Infrastructure including e-learning facilities
(v) Capacity of TVD Officers and Instructors
4.0 Qualifications /Key competencies
The Consultant should demonstrate a wide experience in the TVET sector on provision, funding, and governance. The composition of the team is expected to be as follows:
Competencies
a) Experience in developing, practicing, and implementing technical education specific methodology.
b) Demonstrate wide experience and expertise of at least 10 years in the development and implementation of curriculum (TVET programmes) that links education and training programmes to the needs of the industry.
c) Demonstrated experience working in the area of entrepreneurship training, business consulting and coaching, industry linkages and business advisory services.
e) Experience in conducting research and analysing data.
f) Sound analytical, organizational and project management skills.
g) Should have interpersonal skills to manage people and build relationships.
h) Proven work experience as Information Technology and Computing specialist or similar role;
Requirements
a) Master’s degree in education; links with the TVET system will be an added advantage.
b) At least ten years’ experience in operational planning and project management.
c) At least 5 years’ practical experience in the planning and implementation of similar assignments
5.0 Duration
The assignment is planned to take a period of 1 month.
6.0 Payment schedule
The consultant will be paid as follows:
Deliverable % to be paid Timeframe
Inception report
Detailing conceptual understanding of the assignment, Methodology to be used and deliverables timeline. In the form of technical and financial proposal.
20% One week
1st Draft document of the study 40% Three weeks
Final Draft after Validation Meeting 40% One week
7.0 Budget:
The consultant(s) or research team is requested to provide a detailed budget proposal, including costs for data collection, analysis, report writing, and presentation of findings.
8.0 Submission of Proposals:
Interested consultant/s or research teams are invited to submit their proposals, including a detailed methodology, a timeline, and a budget proposal, to recruitment@lcn.org.ls or hand delivered to LCN offices House NO 544, Hoohlo Extension by 12:00noon [19 th July 2024].
LCN reserves the right of choice of a consultant/s and/or firm and the right to withdraw the advert if the no one meets the criteria.
9.0 Evaluation of Proposals:
Proposals will be evaluated based on the proposed methodology, experience of the consultant(s) or research team, and the cost-effectiveness of the proposal.
Confidentiality:
- All information and data collected during this research must be treated with the utmost confidentiality and used solely for the purposes of this study.