Expression of Interest "School Digitalization Specialist" TA to MEHE 72.3038.6.001.00

Project Background

The situation

Lebanon has been suffering from instability on all levels for decades, but the situation has further aggravated in the last few years. Three years of layering of crises on top of one another - the economic crisis, compounded by COVID-19, the 2020 Beirut Port explosions and political instability have left all families residing in the country struggling to survive. Currently, Lebanon finds itself in a never before faced compounded crisis of extreme complexity, which was the result of several factors including the refugee crisis that started in 2011, noting that country is currently hosting 831,053 Syrian refugees and 479,537 Palestinian refugees according to latest UN agencies reports, in addition to the economic vulnerability and contraction, continuous political crisis, social unrest and heightened challenges since October 2019, the on-going debt crisis, COVID-19 and health crisis, banking and currency crisis, cumulative inflation rate, education sector crisis, which was preceded by teachers’ protests since 2017-2018 against low remuneration and the Beirut Blast in August 2020 and its on-going consequences. All these crises resulted in enormous strains on population’s physical and mental health, access to food, basic services, education and safety among others.

Current situation in the target sector

The events that took place in the last few years have added further layers of obstacles on top of an already compromised Lebanese public and private schooling system in its efforts to provide education for children residing in Lebanon. The crisis left an impact on the different levels of the education system, starting with MEHE’s inability to perform normally due to the economic and social situation, teachers and staff’s losing motivation and students unable to attend classes on daily bases for several reasons among many other levels. The crisis’ impact on the educational sector affects children’s wellbeing and threatens their future, the social stability (including people’s ability to escape the vicious cycle of poverty) and country’s abilities to overcome the socioeconomic and political depression and to set up a sustainable governance and economic model. The below provides a detailed insight on the current situation in the education sector in Lebanon and sheds the light on major gaps and existing issues:

• Access to education opportunities and disruption of education services
• Quality of education services
• Governance of education systems
• Education-related expenditures for families and MEHE
• Large donor group involved in the sector
• MEHE needs and gaps
• Budgeting and Planning
• Capacity Gaps
• “Internal Politics”

About the project

With the country slipping deeper into an economic and financial crisis, the education sector and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) are in high need of support to ensure their ability to sustain their operations and remain able to deliver high quality education to all children residing in Lebanon. While the complexity of the situation is increasing, with a high number of dropouts and out-of-school children, a significant number of students migrating from private to the public school because they cannot afford the high fees anymore, low teachers’ motivation, challenges on the level of transportation and unavailability of basic needs at schools such as power, in addition to a considerable decline in the quality of education, support is needed to ensure that MEHE, including Directorate for General Education(DGE) and all other departments, guarantee learning continuity under a multiple crisis context through a more resilient education system, that is able to provide quality, inclusive and safe education for all children.

To cover the existing gaps, the Technical Assistance to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (TA to MEHE), aims at “building an education system (Ministry for Education and Higher Education) better equipped and able to deliver quality basic education”, through the below 3 outcomes:

• Outcome 1: enhance the governance capacities of the MEHE in the field of strategic and operational planning, monitoring, and reporting, budgeting, and public finance management.
• Outcome 2: enhance the capacities of the MEHE for the delivery of quality teaching and learning by management and educational staff empowered with 21st century skills development.
• Outcome 3: enhance the performance of the public education system (MEHE) through improved management and business operating procedures.

The assignment

Background for the assignment

MEHE’s primary objective nowadays is to move from emergency response to addressing the different developmental challenges. To achieve this objective, MEHE has created a 5-year plan followed by the Reform Plan (Roadmap) 2025. This plan serves as a roadmap for comprehensive education sector reform in Lebanon. The Reform Plan 2025 guides the different stakeholders and actors within the education sector in addressing diverse challenges and eventually ensuring that every child in Lebanon has equal and fair access to education.

Digital transformation in education, which is present in the ministry’s reform roadmap, is crucial for enhancing the learning experience of students, teachers, and other stakeholders. It improves engagement and accessibility through interactive and customizable learning methods, making online education more affordable, comprehensive, and inclusive. The COVID-19 pandemic unveiled the vulnerabilities of Lebanon's K-12 schooling system in terms of digitalization. Therefore, schools' digitalization becomes a necessary component of any education reform in Lebanon, especially in the context of Education in Emergencies, to prevent education interruptions. This technical assistance program provides a significant opportunity to support the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) in their efforts to digitise schools.

Description of the assignment

Outline of the mission

The mission of a school digitalization specialist is to lead the transformation process, empower educators and students with the necessary tools and resources to enhance learning outcomes, foster innovation, and prepare students for success in the digital age.  It contributes to the implementation of a comprehensive digital transformation strategy assuring integration of appropriate digital tools, platforms, and resources improving teaching and learning.

Description of the activities to be performed by the STE

The expert works under the direct supervision of the TA in collaboration with the DG of education, with the ICT Director, and in close collaboration with different directorates and affiliations of MEHE. S/He is expected to perform the following activities:

• Conduct a thorough assessment of the public K-12 school’s existing technology infrastructure, instructional tools, and administrative systems. Identify gaps, opportunities, and areas for improvement, and propose appropriate technological solutions.
• Contribute to the development of a digital transformation/information technology strategy at MEHE.
• Advise on the procurement of the digital transformation tools standards contributing to the procurement process in compliance with the laws and regulations of public procurement law adopted by MEHE.
• Support technology integration and digital tools implementation, learning management systems, and other technologies to enhance teaching, learning, and administrative processes.
• Ensure seamless integration of technology across various aspects of the school's operations.
• Lead and support school principals in developing and carrying Organisational Change Management (OCM) Digital Transformation activities for significant transformation plans, such as but not limited to identifying gaps and weaknesses and proposing appropriate solutions for implementation.
• Advise on digital tools, learning management systems, and other technologies to enhance teaching, learning, and administrative processes. Ensure seamless integration of technology across various aspects of the school's operations.
• Contribute to implementing digital transformation initiatives at K-12 and DGE levels including technical implementations, digitalization, and emerging technologies.
• Outline the potential opportunities for future learning that will facilitate the utilization of digital transformation technologies.
• Inform DGE and the ICT Director on developments and best practices of the digital world.
• Connect digital transformation activities with other work streams in place at MEHE.
• Develop a work plan for the digital transition, provide status and progress reports, locate problems, and assess risks.
• Establish and maintain communication with key decision-makers and partners;
• Advise on the digital aspects of teaching and learning, working alongside the school leadership team and other DGE teams to ensure the implementation of the digital transformation strategy.
• Contribute and advise on the use and implementation of digital technology in the classroom.
• Foster effective technology integration in the classroom and offer guidance to staff members to enhance their technology skills and leverage the learning potential of students.
• Supervise, execute, and assess the primary learning platforms such as Teams and the Microsoft 365 Suite.
• Contribute upon need and based on a request from DGE and its affiliations to the Professional Development and Training support to teachers, staff, and school principals on the effective use of digital tools and technologies.
• Conduct workshops, develop training materials, and provide ongoing guidance to facilitate the adoption and integration of technology in the classroom and administrative tasks.
• Collaborate closely with curriculum developers and instructional designers to integrate technology into the curriculum effectively.
• Create interactive digital learning materials and resources that align with educational standards and promote student-cantered learning.
• Draft relevant progress reports and perform other relevant tasks identified as a priority together with the DG.
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Outputs/Results of the mission

The outputs/results requested from the NK Expert are:

• Generic school’s digitalization framework tackling minimal common requirements by schools for digital transformation.
• Technology assessment reports and technology integration plan is in place.
• Digital transformation strategy is developed.
• Professional development plans aligned with digital transformation.
• Best practices about digital transition are researched and reported.
• Control and evaluation mechanisms of digital transformation implementation are in place.
• Digital school model is developed.
• Schools digital transformation budget is estimated and in place.
• Digital teaching and learning are improved.

Administrative Deliverables

• Monthly Time Sheets according to the template provided at the beginning of the mission which includes a brief description of task(s) conducted each day signed and submitted to team leader for revision and approval. Holidays, weekends and working days outside Lebanon could not be included in the Time Sheet as working days unless there is a prior written approval from the contracting authority.
• An inception report serves as a formal document that provides a clear understanding of the mission and outlines the planned framework and methodology for conducting the work. It ensures mutual understanding and adherence to the agreed-upon roles and responsibilities. The report should include a comprehensive description of the expert's planned framework and approach to work, outlining the methodologies to be employed in carrying out the tasks outlined in the TORs.
• Monthly report that includes the following:

• Key monthly objectives and activities with clear & measurable indicators (outputs & outcomes).
• Approach to work/methodology including challenges, limitations & adaptation in methodology and Lessons Learned.
• Implementation Plan, Milestones and Future steps (ongoing tasks and/or new cycle).
• Contribution to MEHE‘s organizational effectiveness.
• Communication, supporting visuals and testimonials: What key messages could be drafted for dissemination by the Director General and to which audiences/stakeholders.

• A comprehensive end of mission’s report submitted to ICT Director for revision and approval including:

• Scope and objectives of the mission.
• Approach adopted for conducting the mission.
• List of outputs produced during the mission (including meetings and people met).
• Description of the outputs produced during the mission.
• Problems and challenges encountered during the mission.
• Recommendations for the follow-up of the mission (if any).
• Recommendations for the improvement of project implementation (if any).

• Documents produced during the implementation of the mission in the form of definitive version (drafts can be included if and only if are relevant for the implementation of the mission or its follow-up).
• All documents should be delivered in hard copy and in digital form using exclusively MS Office applications.

Expert Profile

Qualifications and skills

• Master’s degree in computer engineering, science, digital transformation, Information and communication technology or any other relevant fields or Bachelor’s in computer science or engineering with minimum of 7 years of professional working experience in education digital transformation, school information management systems, education innovation (minimum requirement).
• Ability to plan, organise, and control resources, procedures, and protocols to achieve specific goals; (minimum requirement).
• Ability to work with different directorates and partners from different backgrounds and contexts.
• Knowledge of the Lebanese education K-12 schooling sector is a must.
• Strong communication, presentation, and writing skills.
• Fluency in English language (minimum requirement).
• Fluency in Arabic language (minimum requirement).
• Fluency in French (preferred requirement).
• Excellent planning and communication skills (minimum requirement).
• Excellent time-management skills and problem-solving skills (minimum requirement).
• Excellent browser use (minimum requirement).
• Autonomous and organised (minimum requirement).
• Reliable, punctual, and detail oriented (minimum requirement).
• Excellent use of Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Outlook, Paint, etc.) or equivalent open-source packages (minimum requirement).
• Ability to work under pressure with minimal supervision.

General professional experience

• Previous experience in digitalisation vendor’s management.
• Previous experience working with MEHE specifically in the ICT (preferred requirement).
• Previous experience in instructional technology and platforms.
• Strong expertise in conducting technology needs assessment pertaining to digital infrastructure and modelling.

Specific professional experience

• Strong knowledge in action planning: for school digital transformation would be a valuable addition.
• Demonstrated experience in providing digital transformation advice in the Lebanese K-12 schooling system is an added value.
• Previous experience in development, implementation and monitoring information management and digital transformation strategies mainly in the education sector is highly demanded.