Consultancy services for supporting Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) on School Improvement Grant (SIG) verifications and rapid assessments.

UNICEF Zimbabwe is inviting you to submit your proposal for LRFP 2021 9165759- School Improvement Grant (SIG) Verification - Re-bid as per attached LRFP.

Three types of School Improvement Grants (SIG) were implemented in 2020 and these are; the Regular SIG and Complementary Funding. SIG project aims at making operational a national school grants programme which provides financially constrained schools with enough resources to address their most basic needs and meet a minimum set of school functionality criteria with the aim of improving the quality of teaching and learning at the school level and eliminating user fee costs for vulnerable students. The expectation is that this process will lead to a phased reduction in compulsory parental education costs, especially for the poor and vulnerable. In addition, by investing resources at the school level it is hoped that a ‘whole school approach’ will be strengthened encompassing issues related to teaching and learning and community involvement in the school. A ‘whole school approach’ entails that the community, school authorities and children will assess the key challenges and barriers to school effectiveness and develop a School Development Plan (SDP) to prioritise problem areas, set out solutions to the problems and strategies to realise those changes.

The grants are disbursed directly to dedicated school bank accounts from UNICEF account, and will be used to address issues of access, quality, governance and resourcing within the context of specific needs articulated in the SDP. This plan may include issues such as ensuring access to quality education to pupils coming from the most marginalised households and to those with special education needs.  The plan may also focus on the improvement of quality of teaching in classrooms, materials provision (core and non-core teaching and learning materials), improvement of school facilities and effective school resource management.  Under Regular SIG, grants disbursed to each selected school annually will fund different components of non-salary and non-personnel needs that will be in the School Development Plans (SDPs) and therefore potentially be covered by a school grants programme. These are broadly:

• Teaching and learning materials;
• Classroom furniture
• Special needs provision (improved access and security for children with disabilities)
• School running costs
• Water and Sanitation
• Income generating activities to support school

The second type of SIG; Complementary Funding focusses on construction of classrooms and laboratories.

The third type of SIG is emergency wash aimed at water point rehabilitation and promoting access to water by learners and children.