Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)A (least hardship)
Family Type (not applicable for home-based)
Family
Staff Member / Affiliate TypeCONS Local
Target Start Date2023-08-01
Job Posting End DateJuly 23, 2023
Terms of ReferenceTitle: Individual Contractor (Statelessness)
Project Title: UNHCR – UNICEF Joint Study on Access to Education for Stateless Persons in Thailand
Indicate Bureau/Department/Division/Service responsible for the funds:
UNHCR Thailand Multi-Country Office (MCO)
Duration of this assignment and dates:
From: 1 August 2023 To: 15 February 2024
Total amount of days/weeks/months: 6 months and 15 days
Duty Station: Bangkok
General Background of Project or Assignment:
Thailand has a progressive and generous education policy that mandates 15 years of free education for all children, whether they are Thai nationals, undocumented migrants or stateless children. The enrolment of stateless children in Thai public schools has increased markedly since the landmark 1999 Education for All Policy and the 2005 Cabinet Resolution on Education for Unregistered Persons. More recently, the Equitable Education Fund (EEF), which aims to support the education of poor and disadvantaged students, has also benefited stateless children and boosted their school participation in Thai public schools. Yet, stateless children are still amongst the largest groups of children out of school, with some estimates showing that half of stateless children are out of school and not receiving any form of education. The challenges of educating stateless children are complex. They are closely interlinked with legal status, identity documentation, labour and security issues.
Recently, UNICEF has conducted studies to look at access to education for stateless and migrant populations. These studies include “Education Knows No Border: A Collection of Good Practices and Lessons Learned on Migrant Education in Thailand 2020”. While focused on the broader issue of migrant education and its attendant challenges, the studies found that over the last 10 years, Thailand has made efforts to register/legalize unregistered, stateless and undocumented children, particularly through birth registration and the transfer of “G” students (registered by Ministry of Education - MOE) to the Ministry of Interior’s (MOI) 13-digit registration framework. Even though many registered and unregistered stateless children have obtained “G” identification numbers in government schools and can access education services, stateless children and young people continue to face significant barriers to gaining access to education in Thailand. These barriers, while similar to those faced by migrant children, are experienced more acutely by stateless children because of their additional vulnerability. Key barriers include the following:
• Stateless persons can face problems enrolling in schools because schools can require parents or caregivers to provide legal documentation or to arrange for the Village Head to visit the school and guarantee that the concerned individuals live in their stated villages.
• Many schools are located in remote areas and a number have been closed because they have too few students. As a result, some stateless students have to travel to other villages/towns to attend schools. This causes additional expenses, such as travel and accommodation costs, especially for the secondary or higher education level students.
• Stateless persons suffer restricted freedom of movement and are required to obtain travel passes when travelling beyond their provincial areas. Further, those who hold ID no. (0-00 undocumented persons, Art. 38 paragraph 2 of the Civil Registration Act) are unable to travel. This can impact on the ability of students to access education opportunities outside of their provincial areas.
• Stateless persons are ineligible to apply for the government’s education loan (that covers secondary school level (grade 10-12), vocational certificates, diploma or bachelor’s degrees), which impacts on access to higher level education. As a result, access to employment opportunities for stateless persons that require higher levels of education (and can result in higher levels of income) can be restricted.
• UNHCR is aware of reports of stateless persons who have completed education requirements not receiving graduation certificates due to their lack of 13-digit ID no. and ID cards. In some cases, where legal documentation has subsequently been received, schools have still refused to issue the certificate and instead required that students commence their studies again.
• Even though Thailand has an Education for All Policy with five basic education subsidies (education facilitation fees, textbooks, education materials, school uniforms; students' capacity building activities) provided by the government, in reality - families (including Thai) still have to pay school fees and other costs depends on school’s requests. Stateless families are disproportionately affected by poverty and UNHCR understands that they have struggled to cover education expenses. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many stateless students drop out of schooling because their families cannot afford related costs.
In light of the abovementioned challenges and the lack of focused data and evidence available on the experiences of stateless persons accessing education, a study is warranted. This would be used to improve understanding of the current situation, help inform advocacy and guide efforts of stakeholders, including UNHCR and UNICEF, to support the Royal Thai Government (RTG) in strengthening access to education for stateless children and young adults.
The study would utilize qualitative and quantitative data gathering, desk-based research, site visits and interviews with stateless children, parents and caregivers, education service providers and others. The target population would only include those who are registered as stateless in the RTG’s civil registration database.
Purpose and Scope of Assignment (concise and detailed description of activities, including measurable outputs and delivery dates, impact indicators (what qualitative and quantitative results would be achieved upon completion of the assignment), performance indicators (timelines, value of the service rendered in relation to the cost, timeliness) and work plan):
Purpose:
1) Assess the situation on access to education for stateless persons in Thailand from primary level to tertiary education level;
2) Identify gaps in education policy as well as limitations of stateless persons in accessing education services in Thailand; and
3) Inform advocacy and guide efforts of stakeholders, including UNHCR and UNICEF, to support the RTG in strengthening access to education for stateless children and young adults.
Scope of Assignment:
The objective of this assignment is to carry out the research and facilitate the process of collecting inputs from multiple stakeholders, both through a desk review and consultations, with the objective of generating a report with concrete and actionable recommendations. The individual consultant/service provider would need to adapt or develop a research methodology, collect, and analyze data and information, as well as prepare a final comprehensive report.
Monitoring and Progress Controls (reports requirements, periodicity, format, deadlines):
The individual consultant/service provider should report on progress of the project every 20 working days to the UNHCR and UNICEF Statelessness focal points.
Definition of the Final Product (i.e., survey completed, data collected, workshop conducted, research documents produced, etc.):
1. Collect and analyze data and prepare a comprehensive Desk Review
The individual consultant/service provider is required to undertake a desk review on education legislation, policy, procedures and existing studies on access to education for stateless persons.
Expected deliverables:
• Desk-based research to map standards and existing studies on access to education for stateless persons to identify the critical barriers they face and existing knowledge gaps around the experiences of stateless children
2. Consultations with relevant stakeholders.
In coordination with the focal points of both agencies (UNHCR and UNICEF), the individual consultant/service provider is required to:
- Identify and propose a suitable sample of stateless persons (including their parents and caregivers) and stakeholders (e.g. RTG officials, civil society organizations, academia, education providers, other relevant service providers and UN agencies) with whom to conduct interviews and consultations;
- design survey questions to guide interviews, facilitate the consultations, document inputs and contributions, and summarize the gathered data and information; and
- conduct interviews and consultations with stateless children, parents, caregivers, education providers and other relevant service providers as well as site visits.
Expected deliverables:
• Summary of key findings from the interviews and consultations with stateless persons and other stakeholders;
• Draft report which looks at the situation - including challenges and successes - faced by stateless persons in accessing education and the related uniqueness of the statelessness experience.
3. Final Report
A final report shall be prepared by the individual consultant/service provider building on the findings of the desk review, the input from interviews with stateless persons and stakeholders, and analysis of the gathered consultative information. The final report should present the key findings and clear recommendations to further strengthen access to education for stateless children in Thailand with a focus on making the education system more inclusive as well as targeted approaches to accelerate progress for stateless children.
Regular consultations with both UNHCR and UNICEF will be important throughout all phases of the preparation and validation of the final report, including during the development of the report outline, the analytical framework used to assess the collected inputs and contributions from stakeholders, complemented by actionable recommendations in the short and medium term. The report produced in English and Thai languages, will contain a 5-page Executive Summary, and shall be cleared by UNHCR and UNICEF via a Steering Committee established to oversee the research.
The individual consultant/service provider is expected to present findings and participate at a workshop with relevant RTG officials and other concerned actors to discuss findings and follow up.
Deliverables/Outputs/Target Due Dates
Payment Review and Approvals Required (Indicate designation of person who will review output and confirm acceptance)
1. Desk-based research of policy, procedures and existing studies on access to education for stateless persons/1 September 2023
(starting 1 August 2023)/ 20% / UNHCR and UNICEF
2. Summary of key finding from the interviews and consultations with the stateless persons and other stakeholders/ 15 October 2023/ 20% UNHCR and UNICEF
3. Draft report of the situation – including challenges and successes – faced by stateless persons in accessing education and the related uniqueness of the statelessness experience/ 1 December 2023/ 20%/UNHCR and UNICEF
4. Final report: with Deliverable 1 and Deliverable 2 including conclusion and recommendations/ 2 January 2024/ 30%/ UNHCR and UNICEF
5. Presentation of findings and participate in a workshop with the relevant RTG officials and other concerned actors/ 1 February 2024/10%/UNHCR and UNICEF
All the deliverables are expected to be conducted in English and Thai languages and submitted to UNHCR and UNICEF for review and comment. The individual consultant/service provider is expected to present the report in Bangkok in person. The presentation of the report may involve inviting key actors including government officials, as determined by UNHCR and UNICEF.
Qualification and Experience of the Individual Contractor (degree required, years of experience, field of expertise, language required):
Experiences & Qualifications:
• Education: Master’s degree in the fields of Social Sciences, Law, Human Rights, Public Policy or other similar fields;
• Experience: At least three years of professional experience in conducting and coordinating research related to statelessness, human rights, public policy and access to rights of marginalized population including ethnic minorities;
• Knowledge of statelessness, law on nationality, civil registration and access to rights issues in Thailand;
• Knowledge of the SDGs, UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Thailand;
• Strong analytical skills, including ability to collect data and information from varied sources;
• Ability to travel to the remote areas within Thailand; and
• Languages: Excellent written and oral communication and presentation skills in English and Thai.
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Other informationThis position doesn't require a functional clearance