Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for the Project to Improve the Quality of Learning in Burundi at UNESCO

Context

In 2015, the international community defined the Sustainable Development Agenda, providing a new, transformative, and universal vision for education. Education and training are at the heart of achieving the 2030 Agenda through Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), which calls on States to "ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all."

To realize this international ambition and meet the requirements of SDG 4, Burundi has embarked on a strategic approach with the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). Within the framework of the GPE's new funding model, Burundi has developed a partnership pact aimed at defining a framework for collaboration with its partners around a Priority Reform designed to improve the performance of the education system as a whole.

The Burundi Partnership Pact outlines how various national and international stakeholders are pooling their interests, resources, and capacities to support the Priority Reform, particularly by addressing the specific barriers hindering the acceleration of educational reforms. The priority reform chosen by the country, and agreed upon by all partners, is that of " equitable and inclusive improvement of the quality of learning ." 

Following an inclusive dialogue process, the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) approved on April 30, 2024, the principle of allocating funds for the transformation of the Burundian education system. This paved the way for the development of the four-year Project for Improving the Quality of Learning in Burundi (PAQABU) (July 2025 to June 2029), structured around three components: Component 1, Teachers and Classroom Practices, entrusted to the French Development Agency (AFD); Component 2, Improving Access to and Retention of Girls and Boys, particularly the Most Vulnerable, in School, under the responsibility of UNICEF; and Component 3, Streamlining the Management and Use of Resources of the Ministry of National Education and Scientific Research (MENRS), implemented by UNESCO.

To ensure the successful implementation of PAQABU, the UNESCO Regional Office for Central Africa plans to recruit a monitoring and evaluation specialist.

Main functions and responsibilities

Under the overall authority of the Director of the UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office for Central Africa, based in Yaoundé, and the direct supervision of the UNESCO Regional Advisor for Education in Central Africa, the incumbent will report to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of National Education and Scientific Research (MENRS) and will be responsible for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of activities for the three components of the PAQABU program. In this capacity, he/she will be responsible for:

1. The establishment of an integrated monitoring and evaluation system

• Contribute to the coordination and annual planning (PTBA) of the three components of the project, ensuring their coherence, complementarity and alignment with the objectives set, as well as their effective implementation through rigorous monitoring and evaluation;
• Design and operationalize monitoring and evaluation systems that are both specific to each component and integrated, in order to ensure coordinated supervision of the implementation of the project by AFD, UNICEF and UNESCO;
• Strengthen the capacities of implementing partners in monitoring and evaluation, particularly on principles, procedures, data collection tools and standard reporting mechanisms;
• Establish protocols for collaboration and data sharing between agencies and with national structures;
• Ensure the alignment of the monitoring and evaluation system with the requirements of the GPE and the Ministry of National Education.

2. Digital data collection and management

• Define and implement an information management circuit to ensure the availability of the data necessary to populate the project's results frameworks;
• Maintain comprehensive documentation of project achievements, certifying the quality of indicator measurement;
• Develop or adapt digital data collection tools (KoboToolbox, ODK, or others) incorporating internal data consistency checks, in collaboration with partners;
• Provide training and support to field teams on the use of digital tools.
• Supervise the collection, verification, cleaning and archiving of data related to the implementation of project activities;
• Maintain a secure and accessible database, ensuring data quality, disaggregation and traceability;
• Contribute to the integration of cross-cutting considerations (gender, inclusion, equity) into the monitoring system.

3. Knowledge management and capitalization

• Establish mechanisms for documenting, analyzing and disseminating good practices, innovations and lessons learned;
• Produce capitalization sheets, summary notes, etc.;
• Promote networking among monitoring and evaluation stakeholders within the project.

4. Reporting

• Produce high-quality, reliable progress reports that comply with project requirements through the measurement of performance indicators, qualitative monitoring, and suggest innovative approaches to achieving results, taking into account project execution processes;
• Establish and maintain a consolidated dashboard to monitor project progress and budget execution, as a strategic tool for decision support and performance management;
• Produce consolidated periodic performance reports (monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, annually) covering all project components and partners;
• Support the preparation of joint reports in accordance with GPE requirements;
• Develop presentations and visual aids (infographics, dashboards, etc.) for coordination meetings, supervision missions, and joint reviews.

5. The evaluation

• Support project evaluations (baseline, mid-term, final);
• To propose corrective measures and strategic adjustments;
• Contribute to monitoring the implementation of recommendations from evaluations;
• Participate in inter-agency technical meetings and meetings with national authorities related to monitoring and evaluation.

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