Evaluation Consultant: Ethiopia Peacekeeping English Project

About the project

The British Council Peacekeeping English Project (PEP) started in mid-2008 and has played a significant role in Ethiopia becoming the world’s largest contributor of peacekeepers on multinational Peace Support Missions as it has ensured Ethiopians are deployed with sufficient skills to interact with peacekeepers from other nations. The project was funded by the Africa Conflict Prevention Pool until March 2015 and subsequently from the Conflict Security and Stability Fund (CSSF). It works with its partners, the Ethiopian Ministry of National Defence (EMOND) and the Ethiopian Federal Police Commission (EFPC) in Addis Ababa, and has 12 centres across the country, working with 54 civilian teachers who are contracted to the partners and who run a variety of English language courses. The project was evaluated in late 2013. It is likely to be handed over to the partners in March 2020.

About the Role

The consultant will carry out an independent evaluation of the PEP Ethiopia, advising how it should best be concluded, and whether there is a case for a further extension from April 2020. The consultant will report to the British Council in Addis Ababa (the Country Director and the Head of English for Educational Systems who manages the project), plus the Senior Programme Manager, Africa Peace and Security CSSF and the UK Defence Attaché both based at the British Embassy, Addis Ababa. The Objectives are to:

• review the project aims and scope with reference to the documents and in meetings with key stakeholders, i.e. the Embassy, EMOND, EFPC and British Council.
• gain a clear perspective on the Ethiopian demand for English on peacekeeping operations (past, present and future).
• review the training programme for teachers, the testing team and administrators, and through interviews and observations with a selection of them to evaluate to what extent the training has subsequently impacted on their behaviour.
• review all relevant data concerning the programme.
• take into account changes in EMOND’s and the EFPC’s peacekeeping needs and how the project has met them.
• make an assessment of the results of the project in terms of the effectiveness of peacekeeping through interviews with key EMOND and EFPC personnel and a selection of returned peacekeepers.
• assess the likely sustainability of the project once UK support is concluded.
• advise on future project activities, specifically to ascertain whether there is a case to continue with certain project activities beyond the planned current closure date of March 2020.

Outcomes: The British Council, the UK Defence Attaché and the Senior Programme Manager, Africa Peace and Security CSSF as the representatives of the funders of PEP Ethiopia will:

• have an independent assessment of PEP which assesses its achievements and can be used as a summative evaluation of the project if the decision is to hand it over to the Ethiopian partners at the end of March 2020.
• be able to use this independent assessment to advise the CSSF whether UK assistance to EMOND’s and EFPC’s peacekeeping requirements should continue beyond March 2020.

Timing and duration: It is envisaged that the consultancy will take place in January 2020 for seven days, and will include visits to two centres outside Addis Ababa, in addition to planning and report writing. The final version of the report will be presented by mid-February.

The British Council in Addis Ababa will provide:

• A daily fee (to be negotiated) for seven contact days in Ethiopia
• a negotiated daily fee for work on preparation and report writing,
• return economy air tickets from the consultant’s home country to Addis Ababa and reasonable costs between the consultant’s home and the airport for the flight(s) to/from Addis Ababa,
• hotel accommodation and transport within Ethiopia.

Please note that there will be no subsistence during the consultancy, but that the hotel(s) will provide breakfast.

Qualifications and experience required

All applicants,

• must have an ELT qualification to at least Diploma level.
• must have a minimum of five years post-qualification experience, preferably in low-resource contexts.
• must have experience in evaluating ELT projects, preferably Peacekeeping English Projects.
• should have experience of working with Peacekeeping English or similar projects working with the military and/or security forces.

If you are interested in this consultancy, please send your CV tailored to the above requirements to information@et.britishcouncil.org with the title Evaluation of Peacekeeping English Project by 18 November 2019.

Please note we will respond to the successful application within five working days of the application submission deadline.