Consultancy: Final Evaluation for the National Peace Education Curriculum Initiative in Tunisia - Phase II

Search for Common Ground (Search) is seeking a consultant(s)/firm to develop a holistic approach to evaluate the project “The National Peace Education Curriculum Initiative in Tunisia - Phase II”. As a learning organisation, Search is committed to fostering a culture of learning across all projects, and is investing in developing and supporting its programmatic learning opportunities. To do this well, Search is seeking one consultant/firm to lead this final evaluation.
Search for Common Ground
Search for Common Ground (Search) is an international conflict transformation NGO that aims to transform the way individuals, groups, governments and companies deal with conflict, away from adversarial approaches and towards collaborative solutions. Headquartered in Washington DC, USA, and Brussels, Belgium, with field offices in over 30 countries, Search designs and implements multifaceted, culturally appropriate and conflict-sensitive programs using a diverse range of tools, including media and training, to promote dialogue, increase knowledge and determine a positive shift in behaviours.
The Project
The National Peace Education Curriculum Initiative in Tunisia - Phase II aims to increase the resilience of Tunisian children and youth, particularly by incorporating gender perspectives to counter violent extremism and foster positive values in their local and national settings. This two-year project, implemented by Search for Common Ground (Search) and Ifrikya Center for Common Ground (ICCG), focuses on developing, rolling out, and institutionalizing a peace education curriculum within Tunisia's primary education system. It also strengthens civic engagement through Peace Clubs for youth.

Expected results

Ultimate Outcome: Increased resilience of Tunisian children and youth, particularly by incorporating gender perspectives, to counter violent extremism and foster positive normative values in their local and national settings.
Intermediate Outcome 1: Strengthened capacities of educational and pedagogical experts in the Ministry of Education (MoE) to institutionalize a gender-sensitive and inclusive peace education curriculum into the official primary education system. 
Immediate  Outcome 1.1:  Increased access to a gender-sensitive and inclusive peace education curriculum and accompanying materials among target primary schools.Immediate Outcome 1.2: Strengthened institutional and technical awareness and skills of Tunisian pedagogical experts, teachers, and the MoE to utilize the peace education curriculum and related methodology to prevent violent extremism, promote gender equality, conflict resolution, and inclusive dialogue among students and their environment.Intermediate Outcome 2: Enhanced gender-sensitive and inclusive engagement of Tunisian students and youth around civic values and online/offline conflict resolution within the targeted communities. 
Immediate  Outcome 2.1: Increased awareness and skills of Tunisian students and youth to promote gender equality, resolve conflict non-violently offline and online,  and engage in their communities and civic space. 

Implemented activity streams are listed below:

• Stakeholder Coordination and Capacity Building: Conduct workshops with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and key stakeholders to validate curriculum materials, align the roll-out process, and build the capacity of educational inspectors and facilitators through training sessions.
• Curriculum Development and Resource Distribution: Finalize, produce, and distribute the peace education curriculum and related materials to schools, along with developing an online resource library for broader access to digitized materials.
• Monitoring, Assessment, and Feedback: Perform school visits and organize workshops to monitor curriculum implementation, gather feedback, and assess progress through mid-term and closing reflections.
• Peace Clubs and Civic Engagement: Support the establishment and management of Peace Clubs by providing grants to local CSOs and conducting training on digital peacebuilding and youth-led research to promote civic engagement.
• Support for National Counterterrorism Efforts: Facilitate workshops and support the development and implementation of a national Prevention Violence Extremism sectoral action plan in collaboration with the National Counterterrorism Commission and MoE.

Goal and Objectives of Study

• To assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability of the project in achieving its intended outcomes.
• To evaluate how the project contributed to the increased resilience of children and youth against violent extremism and supported gender equality and civic engagement.
• To document good practices, challenges, and lessons learned to inform future programming.

Key Questions of the Studies

• The evaluation will cover all project components from March 2023 to June 2025. The primary focus will be on the following questions: 
  
• Relevance: How well did the project align with the needs of the Ministry of Education and the targeted youth? How relevant was the inclusion of gender perspectives? To what extent was the project relevant to the local communities’ needs?
• Effectiveness: To what extent were the project’s objectives achieved? Did the project effectively increase the capacities of educators and engage youth and pupils in nonviolent civic activities? To what extent were the peace clubs effective in creating safe spaces for youth civic engagement across the target regions?
•  Efficiency: Were project resources utilized optimally? Were activities and outputs delivered on time and within the budget?
• Impact: What are the observable impacts on youth and pupils’ behavior regarding violent extremism? How did the project influence gender equality and civic participation across the target schools and communities?
• Sustainability: What mechanisms are in place to ensure the continuity of the peace education curriculum and Peace Clubs? What’s the likelihood that the project’s impact will be sustained after its conclusion?

Geographic Locations

• The project targets all 24 governorates in Tunisia. This study should ensure that the sampled communities and groups accurately represent these governorates. The sample will be determined in collaboration with the consultant.
  

Methodology and Data Collection Tools

• Proposals should specify primary and secondary data that will be used, qualitative and quantitative approaches, and methods of data analysis. Proposals should clarify how data will be triangulated, as well as justification for the relevance of these methods to the questions for the study. Proposals should also include sampling strategies associated with the proposed methods, Do No Harm and safeguarding strategies, and any proposed strategies for sharing the findings of the study. Data can be collected remotely or in-person, based on the best approach for the context. The consultant will be responsible for designing the final methodology, developing tools, training of enumerators, data analysis, and drafting of the report.
  The project team and institutional learning team will review proposed methods, tools, and data storage plans prior to data collection. All methods will also be reviewed for alignment to key approaches and templates that Search has (to be shared upon selection of the proposal and before tool development). 
  

Language: Data collection should be done in local language(s) that are most appropriate for the context, but the report and all annexes should be submitted to Search in English.

Logistical Support

• The consultant will be responsible for organising their own logistics for data collection (permissions from local authorities, vehicles, fuel, and drivers) in all project target locations, keeping in mind travel and other restrictions due to the security situations in many locations, and this must be budgeted into the study. ICCG will provide support in arranging logistics. At least one staff member will be available to support data collection and logistics for this study for all target locations.
  In addition, Search and ICCG will share different elements with the external consultant:
  
•  Background materials including the project proposal and monitoring data, M&E plan, research reports, etc. 
• All related reports and monitoring data will be shared also for the final evaluation, including the quarterly reflection sessions.

Data Quality Assurance and Management

• The consultant will be responsible for developing a data quality assurance and management plan in conformity with Search’s Accountability to Affected Population Operational Framework and OECD-DAC Ethics principles and Quality Standards. All documents including reports and raw data will be reviewed and approved by the Institutional Learning Team prior to acceptance of the final product.
  

Key Deliverables and Timeline

• The consultancy is expected to begin in April 2025, including fieldwork/interviews and report writing and submission. Proposals should propose timelines for all deliverables listed here:
  
• Inception Report: Detailed methodology, work plan, and data collection tools.
• Draft Evaluation Report: Summary of findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
• Final Evaluation Report: Incorporating feedback on the draft report, including an executive summary, methodology, findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
• All data sets to be submitted in word/excel formats.

Budget

• The total budget available for this consultancy is USD$ 17,000. A detailed budget should be provided for the work, including daily rates for personnel, and a breakdown of all costs related to data collection (per total number of people sampled, sites for collection, etc.), analysis, and production of deliverables. Please do not submit a total budget above $ 17,000 under any circumstances.
  

Requirements of consultant

• The following skills and experience are expected by Search for our consultant for this project:
  
• Proficiency in Arabic and English (written and spoken)Proven experience in conducting evaluations for peace education, youth engagement, or education-based projects, preferably in the MENA region or similar contexts.
• Demonstrated expertise in Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) initiatives or similar programs that focus on community resilience, education, or youth engagement.
• Experience working with government institutions, particularly Ministries of Education, and in evaluating projects involving curriculum development and capacity building.
• Prior experience in gender-sensitive programming, with knowledge of integrating gender perspectives into education and peacebuilding initiatives.In addition, the consultant is required to respect the following Ethical Principles, adapted from

the American Evaluation Association Guiding Principles for Evaluators, July 2004:
Comprehensive and systematic inquiry: Consultant should make the most of the existing information and full range of stakeholders available at the time of the review. Consultant should conduct systematic, data-based inquiries. He or she should communicate his or her methods and approaches accurately and in sufficient detail to allow others to understand, interpret and critique his or her work. He or she should make clear the limitations of the review and its results. Competence: Consultant should possess the abilities and skills and experience appropriate to undertake the tasks proposed and should practise within the limits of his or her professional training and competence. Honesty and integrity: Consultant should be transparent with the contractor/constituent about: any conflict of interest, any change made in the negotiated project plan and the reasons why those changes were made, any risk that certain procedures or activities produce misleading review information. Respect for people: Consultant respect the security, dignity and self-worth of respondents, programme participants. Consultant has the responsibility to be sensitive to and respect differences amongst participants in culture, religion, gender, disability, age and ethnicity.

Selection Criteria

• Consultant proposals will be selected for: 
  1. Relevance of methodology to the goal, objectives, and research questions for the project
  2. Quality of methods, conflict sensitivity approaches, and quality control measures
  3. Qualifications of the candidate(s). 
  4. Proposed budget in relation to proposed methodology, deliverables and team.
  5. Timeline for proposed activities and deliverables.
  

Applications

• To apply, interested candidates (individuals or teams) are requested to submit the following documents:
  
• Curriculum vitae;
• A technical proposal proposing a methodology for each assessment together with;
• A financial proposal for the completion of the aforementioned deliverables and;
• A short cover letter.