Përshkrimi
TERMS OF REFERENCE}
for
“Development of the climate change learning materials and delivery of the teacher trainings”
Within the project “Youth Environmental Impact (YENI)”, P220002
GENERAL INFORMATION
Caritas Switzerland (CACH) is an independent Swiss NGO, engaged in Switzerland and more than 20 countries worldwide, including Kosovo. Our mission is to prevent, combat and eradicate poverty in a sustainable manner. To achieve this goal, CACH employs a policy of equity: we support inclusive communities with opportunities for everyone regardless of their ethnic background, group affiliation, or gender. CACH has been working in Kosovo since 1999, focusing on social inclusion, rural development and rehabilitation. Based on the Strategy 2021-2025, our central themes are Income, Climate Change and Migration. For more than twenty years, CACH has worked closely with municipalities to increase incomes in agriculture and preschool education, and for three years for the sustainable (re) integration of returnees.
The YENI project
As of January 2022, CACH implements the YENI project which is designed to help the Kosovar local authorities to increase their capacity to address the country’s climate change vulnerabilities by focusing long-term on youth via schools and education in the local context. To accomplish this overall goal, the project activities are focusing on tackling existing barriers to make behavioral change constructively possible. YENI project, aims to provide youth with a climate engagement and vision, as well as complementing skills, to enable them to become active citizens and make their contribution to mitigating or adapting to climate change Therefore, the project will facilitate the strengthening of the role of youth as agents of climate change in the municipalities.
BACKGROUND OF THE ACTION
Environmental pollution and degradation of natural resources have taken an increasing rate during the past two decades in Kosovo, in addition to the existing problems linked to the limited capacities in addressing poverty, public health and employment. Nevertheless, Kosovo authorities have taken several steps toward creating a legal basis for addressing these issues. In 2018, Kosovo endorsed the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which among others emphasizes the importance of taking immediate actions in combating climate change. Furthermore, the Sustainable Development Goals – SDG 4 (Quality education) and SDG 13 (Climate Action) emphasize the special importance of environmental education and awareness-raising on topics related to climate change and its associated impacts. Education is a crucial component of climate change mitigation and adaptation. Increasing environmental awareness and education on the climate crisis can contribute to the effective reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and to adapting to a changing climate in both the short and long-term. Education systems need to acquire the knowledge, skills, tools to prevent and manage risks associated with climate change. Education is thus seen as a prerequisite for achieving sustainable development as an essential tool for good governance. Environmental awareness, including climate change perception, is still weak among all generations in Kosovo. The existing curriculum for secondary school students in Kosovo is not environmentally holistic in a way that it doesn’t include climate change and environmental applicable measures and behaviour, even though they take prominence in affecting the wellbeing of secondary school students in many ways.
Therefore, the main goal of this action is to develop learning materials for upper secondary schools in Kosovo on topics about how to deal with climate change, previously limited in the existing school curriculum, to achieve an impact towards maintaining and creating a healthy environment through youth activism. Thus, through this action, the project will contribute to the overall goal of YENI: “Improved climate action and environmental protection in Kosovar municipalities through active engagement of youth”.
Moreover, the specific outcome to be achieved is the empowerment of teachers at upper secondary schools with new knowledge, skills and tools on climate change. These skills and information will enable the teachers of biology and ecology to convey the new knowledge on climate change to the students more practically thus the younger generation can actively participate in civil society activities, research and educational projects and even politics, in shaping a society that is actively aware of environmental problems and the challenge of climate change.
Through this activity teachers of biology/ecology will be provided a training tool that can be deployed in schools for climate change education, awareness and behavioral change. Such training is expected to increase the understanding of the community, especially young people, of climate change, the threats to health and society and actions that can be taken to mitigate and adapt.
PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The main purpose of this assignment is to develop a set of four (4) training modules on climate change for upper secondary school students, as well as to deliver trainings to teachers of (biology and ecology) on the topic of climate change in Kosovo’s upper secondary schools, as well as to prepare all necessary handout learning materials for teachers of Ecology and Biology. This assignment will focus on combining some of the globally leading approaches to tackling climate change, youth learning materials and toolkits which focus on the adolescent role in environmental protection. These materials will be built with the aim of creating a culture of environmental stewardship from an early age. Furthermore, they will also be aligned to the existing Kosovar curricula on subjects of biology, ecology and other, with the focus on developing Learner Exit Profiles (the coherent, unified expression of skills set that teacher have mastered upon successful completion of their programme).
Through these materials and knowledge, teachers will be able to generate ideas for applicable projects and for addressing environmental problems and climate change impacts (mitigation and adaptation). These materials will also be created with the idea of aiding secondary school teachers in addressing properly these issues, which are otherwise lacking in the school curricula.
Specific objectives of the assignment
The specific assignment objectives are:
- Strengthening the capacities of four Master Trainers to train teachers in the targeted municipalities;
- Strengthening the capacities of the upper secondary school professors on the role of youth in climate sciences/risk, environmental protection and development of presentations on climate change for teachers;
- Learning materials for youth on Climate Change and environmental protection are developed and become a good reference for secondary school students when undertaking Climate Change activities.
- Creating a sound basis for the transfer of new knowledge on environmental protection and climate change, from teachers to secondary school students;
- Empowering the teachers with new knowledge, which links climate change, natural resource management, a healthy environment and sustainable economic development;
- Encourage the active involvement of teachers and students in designing climate change and environmental projects.
The first step toward achieving these objectives is the development of four (4) learning materials/books on Climate Change and Youth. The modules on climate change are as follows:
- Introduction to Climate Science for students of upper secondary schools
- Climate Change learning Tools (e.g. Carbon footprint calculation; Our climate Our future, other Climate data tools, Climate change and biodiversity and others);
- Empowering Youth and Environmental Activism; and
- Civic involvement in Local Environmental Action Planning and implementation (benefits for secondary schools and community).
The second step is foreseen to be the training of 90 teachers in different municipalities in Kosovo on the topic of climate change. The new knowledge on Climate Change would be designed to give teachers confidence in facilitating climate change and sustainability education inside and outside the classroom. This enables teachers to help students to understand the causes and consequences of climate change, bring about changes in attitudes and behaviors to reduce the severity of future climate change and build resilience in the face of climate change.
The foreseen activities will be science-based, understandable for the target group and adapted to the local environment and culture. These activities contain inquiry, investigation, questioning, reasoning, and problem-solving, promotion of critical thinking skills, analyses, synthesis, and information evaluation, all for the sake of informed decisions and innovative and creative input related to climate change and the environment.
The four modules on climate change should be drafted in Albanian language (these materials will be translated by CACH in English and Serbian language). The trainings for the teachers should be delivered in Albanian and Serbian languages.
EXPECTED TIMEFRAMES AND WORKPLAN
A total of 144 days were assigned to draft the four modules (80 days) and to train the teachers (64 days) for the above tasks in the one-year span starting from 01 September 2022 to 30 September 2023.
Through establishment of the informal online network of biology/ecology teachers at upper secondary high schools the master trainers can follow up follow up the climate change module feedback.
WHO CAN APPLY?
Accredited higher educational institutions of Kosovo that have established department on the topics of Biology, Ecology, Environment. Other research institutions and environmental NGOs that have a track-record in the environmental education sector.
EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS OF THE EXPERTS
- One of the experts needs to have PhD in a relevant field (Biology, Ecology, Climate Change Science, Environmental Sciences);
- At least seven (7) years overall academic (teaching) experience in a relevant field (Biology, Ecology, Climate Change);
- Records and proof of success with similar works executed in the past;
- Extensive experience in working with teacher and youth (capacity building);
- Experience in developing learning materials on climate change and environmental protection.
- Experience in developing and delivering training/education on Biology/Ecology/Climate Change;
- Fluency in Albanian, English and Serbian (team covered, at least one trainer must be able to train in Serbian language);
- Excellent communication, research, report writing and presentation/training skills.
APPLICATION PROCESS
All interested applicants should submit the application in English of their expression of interest/proposal, signed/stamped in PDF, by 21st of August 2022 (CoB), with the subject “Development of the climate change learning materials and delivery of the teacher trainings”, to the following email addresses: [email protected] , CC: [email protected] .
The application must submit the following documents
EVALUATION CRITERIA
The offer will be evaluated by using the best value for money approach (combined scoring method). The technical proposal will be evaluated with 80% weight, whereas the financial one will be evaluated with 20%. The delivery of the first module learning material and initial training in the first municipality will be probation and subject to the continuation of these modules in other municipalities. The award will be given to the applicant whose offer follows the terms of references (ToR) instructions.
BIDDING COSTS
CACH in Kosovo will not cover bidding costs and reserves the right to accept or refuse bidders, or to cancel or postpone the whole bidding process prior to signing of any agreements.