UNV National Youth Digital Learning

Mission and objectivesThe fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children's rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. Equity accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

ContextThe National Digital Learning Programme (PNAD) in São Tomé and Príncipe, supported by UNICEF, integrates the Akelius and Learning Passport platforms, aiming to provide digital educational resources aligned with the national curriculum. The programme seeks to improve learning outcomes and promote the digital inclusion of children and adolescents. The Akelius programme is being implemented in five pilot schools, offering an application focused on language learning, literacy, and numeracy. The Learning Passport programme, in turn, has been implemented in seven schools in São Tomé and ten in Príncipe, providing interactive curricular content for students and teachers. The United Nations Volunteer will support the operationalization of these platforms and the implementation of education sector initiatives, with a focus on capacity building, community engagement, and digital integration.

Task DescriptionUnder the direct supervision of the Education Specialist, the United Nations Volunteer (UNV) will contribute to achieving the following results within the framework of UNICEF’s Education Programme in São Tomé and Príncipe. The UNV will directly support the implementation of the National Digital Learning Programme (PNAD) and other pedagogical initiatives promoted by UNICEF, with a special focus on promoting digital learning, building the capacity of local stakeholders, strengthening community engagement, and increasing the visibility of actions. The responsibilities will include: a. Capacity building • Support the Digital Education Lab in developing and delivering training sessions for teachers and local technicians. • Conduct capacity-building sessions with selected young volunteers to provide support in pilot schools and ensure effective implementation of the PNAD. • Monitor the integration of digital learning into pedagogical planning and support other UNICEF training initiatives within the education sector. b. Content creation and technical support • Support and collaborate with teachers, pedagogical supervisors, and MECCC technicians to create digital content aligned with the national curriculum. • Support the uploading and curation of educational materials on the learning platform, following institutional validation. • Develop strategies, in collaboration with UNICEF’s SBC and Communication teams, to increase the usage and accessibility of digital platforms by children, in-cluding those with disabilities or living in remote areas. c. Monitoring, data, and reporting • Conduct regular monitoring visits to beneficiary schools to follow up on the use of tablets and computers, ensuring equipment functionality and appropriate use. • Collect data and prepare progress reports based on key performance indicators. • Document actions through visual (images, videos, audio) and written evidence. d. Visibility and communication • Support the updating of social media and other communication channels related to the PNAD, in partnership with UNICEF’s Communication section. • Produce digital content for social media, blogs, and advocacy materials that show-case results and best practices from educational initiatives. • Raise awareness within the educational community on the effective use of digital platforms. e. Cross-cutting support and coordination • Provide logistical support for the organization of events, training sessions, workshops, and field missions, including intersectoral actions across Education, Child Protection, ADAP, and Health. • Act as a point of contact for resolving technical and operational issues related to the use of digital platforms, in collaboration with schools and institutional partners. • Produce analytical reports based on data extracted from the platforms and provide support to the technical team and MECCES in information management. f. Support the Education Program • Support all initiatives under the Education Programme beyond digital learning, en-suring coherence and alignment with national policies and UNICEF’s priorities. • Collaborate closely with local authorities, partners, and other UNICEF sectors to promote equitable access to quality education for all children in São Tomé and Príncipe. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to: • 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 in-stance in events that mark International Volunteer Day). • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country. • Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities. • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publica-tions/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc. • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers. • 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. Working with UNICEF, the UNV for Digital Learning will contribute to obtain the following results: a. Increased number of students and teachers using digital learning platforms. b. Enhanced percentage of teachers trained in digital and pedagogical skills. c. Educational digital content downloaded, developed, validated, and uploaded to the platforms. d. Increased frequency of monitoring visits and technical supervision to schools. e. Greater number of youths trained and mobilized to support the implementation of the PNAD. f. Promoted equitable access to digital learning tools. g. Strengthened visibility of UNICEF’s Education Programme and ongoing initiatives with its partners. h. Increased number of technical reports produced and shared with strategic partners.

Competencies and valuesCore Values: • Care • Respect • Integrity • Trust • Accountability • Sustainability Core Competencies • Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2) • Works Collaboratively with others (2) • Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2) • Innovates and Embraces Change (2) • Thinks and Acts Strategically (2) • Drive to achieve impactful results (2) Manages ambiguity and complexity.

Living conditions and remarksOfficially, the Democratic Republic of S9o Tomé and Principe is a Portuguese-speaking island country located in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two archipelagos around the two main islands: Sao Tomé and Principe, located about 140 kilometers (87 miles) from each other and about 250 and 225 kilometers (155 and 140 miles), respectively, at off the northwest coast of Gabon. Since the 19th century, the economy of São Tomé and Principe has been based on plantation agriculture. At the time of independence, Portuguese plantations occupied 90% of the cultivated area. After independence, control of these plantations was transferred to various state agricultural enterprises. The main crop in São Tomé is cocoa, which accounts for about 95% of agricultural exports. Other export crops include copra, palm kernel and coffee. The islands of São Tomé and Principe are the second smallest country in Africa. Both are part of Cameroon's volcanic mountain line, which also includes the Annobón islands in the southwest, Bioko in the northeast (both part of Equatorial Guinea), and Mount Cameroon on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. At sea level, the climate is tropical, hot and humid with average annual temperatures of about 27 ° C (80.6 ° F) and small daily variations. The temperature rarely exceeds 32 ° C (89.6 ° F). At higher altitudes in the interior, the average annual temperature is 20 ° C (68 ° F), and the nights are generally cool. Annual precipitation ranges from 5,000 mm (196.9 in.) On the southwest slopes to 1,000 mm (39.4 in.) In the northern lowlands. The rainy season runs from October to May. The total population of São Tomé and Principe is approximately 215,000 and the majority live on Sao Tome Island. About São Tomé, the city and capital, the population is about 53,300 inhabitants. The inhabitants of Sao Tome and Principe descend from various ethnic groups who have migrated to the islands since 1485. Sao Tome and Principe is a country in the same time zone as GMT and a duty station with family. The Dobra (STD) is the local currency and according to the UN exchange rate system, 1 USD equals 22.561, STD and 1 Euro at 24.50 STD in August 2024. Some commercial banks are active in the country and Visa cards are accepted in a very limited number of hotels. 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.