Mission and objectivesUNICEF works to help the children of Indonesia reach their full potential. We assist our partners to monitor and measure progress against these rights via the child-focused Sustainable Development Goals, with an emphasis on the most vulnerable children. Our programme interventions are rights-based, cut across different sectors, respond to the specific needs of girls and boys and address the vulnerabilities and strengths of children in their first and second decades of life. UNICEF has a strong on-the-ground presence in Indonesia, with seven regional and sub-regional offices. These are primarily in areas with the greatest disparities and service gaps. They complement our high-level policy and programme advice with practical support for planning, financing and service delivery, especially to advocate for quality, equity and sustainability. Indonesia has the worldโs fourth largest child population. UNICEF's presence in the country means we have the potential to impact more than 80 million children. We take this responsibility seriously and are committed to ensuring that children and adolescents โ the building blocks of Indonesiaโs future โ have an equal chance in life.
ContextIndonesia has invested in a bold reform agenda for the education sector in recent years, introducing transformative measures to re-shape the education landscape and quicken advancements in student learning performance. These reform measures include the prioritisation of 13 years of compulsory education, including 1 year of pre-primary education or Early Childhood Education (ECE), which is being introduced as a policy priority in the National Medium-Term Plan 2025-2030 (Rencana Pembangunan Jangka Menengah Nasional - RPJMN). ECE participation remains low in several provinces, particularly in the eastern part of Indonesia. There is a worrying gap in ECE participation in East Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Timur - NTT) province, for example, with a net enrolment rate (NER) of just 33.86% per cent, with an even wider gap in Papua province, with only 19.69% (representing an enrolment gap of a staggering 83.31%), compared to a national NER of 35.9%. Similarly, the school readiness rates across NTT province of 60.76% and Papua province of 48.67% are significantly lower than the national rate of 77.47%. The NER in primary education in NTT and Papua is far more promising, respectively being at 96.86% and 91.10%, lagging the national average of 98.28%. Student learning outcomes in Indonesia were constrained before the COVID19 pandemic, experienced further setbacks during the pandemic and have slowly improved throughout the subsequent recovery period. However, substantive gaps in learning outcomes remain, particularly in foundational skills of literacy and numeracy. These gaps are evident from 2024 National Assessment data, which indicates that more than half of all primary, secondary and senior secondary students - 71.8%, 72.1% and 72.9% - achieved national minimum literacy competencies. For numeracy, overall proficiency levels were lower, with 69.6% of students at the primary level, 69.6% at the junior secondary level, and 70.3% at the senior secondary level achieving national minimum competencies. Students in Eastern Indonesia have the lowest learning outcome levels in literacy and numeracy, compared to other geographic regions. Around 49% of primary students in the eastern region achieve minimum proficiencies in literacy and 46% in numeracy, far below the national average of 70% in literacy and 68% in numeracy. UNICEF Indonesia is supporting the Government of Indonesia to strengthen Holistic and Integrated Early Childhood Development (HI-ECD) systems to ensure school readiness for a smooth transition from pre-primary to primary education. This includes integrating early learning with early grade literacy and numeracy interventions to improve foundational skills outcomes, as well as work to improve the health and nutrition and health of ECE students, as well as their protection and safety and nurturing care from their parents and caregivers. UNICEF Indonesiaโs is seeking a UN Volunteer for the role of Education Officer (School Readiness & Foundational Skills), who will work as part of the education section, supporting coordination, implementation, monitoring and knowledge generation and documentation of HI-ECD and early grades primary education programmes.
Task DescriptionWithin the delegated authority and direct supervision of the Education Specialist for Early Learning and Readiness, and in coordination with the Education Specialist for Foundational Skills, and Education officers in UNICEF Indonesia Field Offices located in NTT and Papua provinces, the UNV Education Officer (School Readiness & Foundational Skills) will: โข Support coordination of the planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting associated with UNICEF Indonesiaโs key HI-ECD and early grades primary education (foundational skills) programmes. Assisting with regular coordination between the education and nutrition sections, and other relevant sections for efficient and effective programme delivery. โข Assist in monitoring activities under these programmes, including undertaking field visits with education officers to collect data and undertake data analysis (including associated with MELQO and EGRA/EGMA student assessments) for results reflection and reporting. โข Assist in the analysis of data related to Gender Equity, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) in early learning and early grade education and assist in developing approaches to strengthen these equity elements in education programmes. โข Assist in documenting lessons learned, best practices, and scalability pathways for HI-ECD and early grade learning (foundational) skills programmes and presenting these lessons in a user-friendly manner/format to government counterparts and other education sector partners. โข Provide technical support for programme planning, donor reporting, and knowledge products relating to UNICEF HI-ECD and early grades primary (foundational skills) programmes. โข Undertake other related tasks assigned by the supervisor. - Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities: โข Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); โข Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; โข Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities. โข Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; โข Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers; and โข Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.
Competencies and valuesโข Professionalism: Demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNICEF; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNICEF procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented; โข Integrity: Demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and UNICEF in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organizationโs interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority; โข Teamwork and respect for diversity: Ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues; โข Commitment to continuous learning: Initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment; โข Planning and organizing: Effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities; โข Communication: Proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; โข Flexibility: Adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary; and โข Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards UNICEFโs mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.
Living conditions and remarksThe position will be based in Jakarta where basic living needs, including accommodation, banking facilities, medical facilities and telecommunications/internet services are readily available. As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. National UN Volunteers are part of the malicious insurance plan.