The Position:
The Government of Bangladesh is committed to improving educational quality and is planning to launch a new national curriculum for grades Kโ12 (ages 5โ18) starting in 2027. This presents a crucial opportunity to integrate comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) into the national curriculum.
Previously, in 2021, the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) introduced a competency-based national curriculum that included \"Health and Wellbeing\" as a mandatory subject for grades 6 to 9. This subject was the main vehicle for delivering life skills and CSE content, which aims to address issues like preventing child marriage, reducing gender-based violence, and promoting gender equality. An independent assessment in 2024 found that approximately 78% of the recommended life skills education content was integrated into this curriculum, with 50% being fully integrated.
However, the Interim Government has since canceled the 2021 curriculum and reverted to the 2012 curriculum for two years, starting in January 2025. This revised curriculum notably omits the \"Wellbeing\" subject, resulting in a fragmented approach to life skills education. A recent analysis shows that the 2012 curriculum covers only 28% of the recommended content for grades 6โ9.
Given this context, UNFPA is uniquely positioned to provide timely and comprehensive support to the NCTB by developing a complete Kโ12 Life Skills Education Curriculum Framework and all related materials. By preparing these resources in advance, UNFPA can ensure the effective integration of life skills content into the upcoming 2027 national curriculum.
How you can make a difference:
UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.ย UNFPAโs strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to โbuild forward betterโ, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on womenโs and girlsโ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.
In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.
UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.
Job Purpose:
The purpose of this consultancy is to provide guidance and lead the development of a comprehensive Kโ12 Life Skills Education Curriculum Framework for Bangladesh. This expert will work collaboratively with a curriculum pedagogy expert to develop age- and grade-appropriate teaching and learning materials for both mainstream schools and madrasahs. All materials must be developmentally-appropriate, culturally sensitive, technically robust, and align with international best practices, specifically the International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education (ITGSE) and Bangladesh's national educational objectives.
You would be responsible for:
The consultant will engage in the following activities (the list is indicative and not exhaustive):
Review key documents, including but not limited to: Curriculum framework and teaching-learning materials from 2012 and 2021 in Bangladesh, focusing on keysubjectsย such as - health and wellbeing, social science, science, ICT and Career Development. SERAT analysis reports prepared to review the 2021 curriculum. International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education. Relevant national policy and strategy documents. Recent published research reports on life skills education, ASRHR, and health education in Bangladesh. Conduct virtual or in-person consultations with NCTB officials, academia, LSE experts, teachers, students, parents, and relevant government ministries (MoE and MoPME) to ensure buy-in, contextual accuracy, and understand their approach/expectations for the next National Curriculum for general education, which the government plans to introduce from 2027. Draft the documents mentioned in the objective section above and share them in a validation workshop. Incorporate feedback from key stakeholders and finalize the documents for submission to the NCTB.Output:ย Working with a pedagogy expert, the consultant will achieve the following outputs:
Kโ12 Life Skills Education Curriculum Framework that is aligned with both the NCTB's vision for the 2027 National Curriculum Framework and the ITGSE. Age- and grade-appropriate teaching and learning materials for Kโ12, including a roll-out strategy with teacher's guides, lesson plans, supplementary reading materials, student activities, and digital resources, all prepared for piloting. Teacher Training Manual and a continuous capacity-building strategy to enable teachers to effectively deliver life skills education in classrooms. Student assessment framework to measure learning and competency outcomes (knowledge, attitudes, and skills) using both formative and summative approaches through sample tools to measure student learning and skills.Duration and working schedule: This consultancy will be for 80 working days and will commence on November 1, 2025, and end on July 30, 2026. The consultant will engage in the following activities to produce the specified deliverables. The list of activities is indicative and not exhaustive.
Note: As this assignment would be completed by a team of one CSE content expert and one pedagogy expert, therefore focus on outputs would be different for different experts, which is reflected in the estimated time allocation.ย
Place where services are to be delivered:ย ย ย The services will be provided to the UNFPA Country Office in Bangladesh. Final deliverables report is expected to be delivered in electronic format, in Microsoft Word and Excel.
Delivery dates and how work will be delivered (e.g., electronic, hard
copy, etc.):ย ย ย ย
This consultancy will be for 80 working days. The anticipated start date is November 1, 2025, with an end date of July 30, 2026.
Monitoring and progress control, including reporting requirements, periodicity format and deadline:ย ย ย ย
The consultant will work closely with the Programme Analyst โ Adolescent and Youth, and Technical Officer โ Adolescent and Youth Unit in carrying out the duties detailed above, under the overall guidance of the unit chief. ย
The consultant will provide written updates on a regular basis and organize online meetings to share work updates, needs and challenges as needed.
The consultant should inform UNFPA of any anticipated delays, well in advance of the deadlines.
Supervisory arrangements:ย ย ย The consultant will work under the direct guidance of and will also be supported by the Programme Analyst - Adolescents and Youth to carry out the activities mentioned above.
Expected travel:ย ย ย ย The consultant may be expected to travel to Bangladesh to conduct the consultation and workshop and UNFPA will pay for the travel and DSA as per standard UN policy and procedure.
Qualifications and Experience: This is a P-3 level consultancy service. S/he requires the following expertise, qualifications, and competencies:
An advanced university degree (Master's or PhD) in Education, Public Health, Social Sciences, Gender Studies, or a related field. A minimum of 5 years of proven international experience in the field of Life Skills Education (LSE). Demonstrated experience working in Muslim-majority countries on sensitive education or health programs, with a strong portfolio of culturally and religiously appropriate content. In-depth knowledge of and experience applying the UN International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education (ITGSE). Excellent analytical, writing, and communication skills in English. Proficiency in information and communication technology.ยRequired Competencies:ย
Values:
Exemplifying integrity,ย Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system,ย Embracing cultural diversity,ย Embracing changeย
Inputs / services to be provided by UNFPA or implementing partner (e.g support services, office space, equipment),
if applicable: The Consultant will be responsible for arranging his/her own computer and other working aid equipment.
Payment Instruction:
As per the UNFPA policy and procedure, and as per a contract based on the payment by deliverables the payments for this consultancy will be made as follows:
25% uponย finalizingย LSE Curriculum Framework (Kโ12) aligned with ITGSE and contextualized for Bangladesh for all four grades. 25% upon finalizing age and grade appropriate LSE content (teaching and learning materials) for general and Madrasah streams.50% uponย finalizing the teacher training manual outline for LSE delivery,ย formative and summative LSE assessment framework and submission of the report
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UNFPA Work Environment:
UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - clickย hereย to learn more.
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Disclaimer:
Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements.ย
UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.ย
Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.