Program Overview:    

FPSP, also referred to as the ‘Platform’, a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) investment, will contribute to the delivery of Fiji’s national development priorities, in line with the Australia’s International Development Policy, the Fiji-Australia Vuvale Partnership and the Development Partnership Plan. 

The Platform will deliver key bilateral programs, such as health, education, scholarships, social infrastructure, governance, climate and emergency preparedness and response. Platform activities will identify and address climate risks, promote climate action, and gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) across and beyond the sector programs.

The Platform has three functional Outcomes: 

1. The Platform has delivered its sector program outcomes, including through supporting strategic coherence, planning, partnerships management, data and learning across the portfolio of investments.
2. The Platform has prioritised gender equality, disability-inclusive development, and climate and disaster resilience, in its systems and practices. This includes in how it undertakes sector programming and its engagement with selected Government of Fiji (GoF) agencies.
3. The Platform administers timely and efficient programming that is: value for money; maximises use of local supply chains; and supports good governance, and public diplomacy, effective decision making and risk management.

Australia-Fiji Education Program (AFEP) Overview

The Platform implements over fifty percent of Australia’s bilateral development support to Fiji across a range of sector programs in education, health, Australia Awards, disaster response, cyclone recovery, social infrastructure and technical assistance to improve public sector governance in Fiji.   

The Platform integrates cross-cutting themes, including gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI), climate and disaster resilience, across sector programs. In particular, the Platform seeks to strengthen program outcomes by better addressing the needs of targeted populations including those who are often marginalised. 

The Australian Government is supporting Fiji’s education sector through the Australia Fiji Education Program (AFEP, the Program) working with the Ministry of Education (MoE). 

The objective of the AFEP is “to work with the Government of Fiji under the Vuvale Partnership to catalyse quality education delivery for all Fijian children”. 

The changes expected by the end of the five-year program are: 

EOPO 1: Schools, particularly trial schools, have improved student literacy and numeracy outcomes, supported by enabling policies, plans and data from the Ministry of Education. 

EOPO 2: Heads of schools and teachers, supported by enabling policies and data from the Ministry of Education, provide a safe, resilient and inclusive learning environment for all students, particularly in trial schools. 

Four intermediate outcomes will provide pathways to meet these end of program outcomes in priority areas, like implementation of the revised literacy and numeracy curriculum in primary and secondary schools, professional development interventions, analysis and improvement of the Fiji Education Management Information System (FEMIS), as well as GEDSI and student wellbeing.  

The funding for the program is approximately AUD45million over 9 years (5 years, with an option to extend for a further 4 years) and delivered through a range of activities to achieve the program’s objectives. Implementation modalities include technical advice, procurement of technical services and goods, minor works and infrastructure upgrades, capacity building and training support, support to Ministry led initiatives and innovations, and grants to civil society organisations (CSOs). 

Position Summary:    

The Senior Manager, GEDSI (the ‘Manager’) will lead AFEP’s work to integrate GEDSI into all activities and guide the design and delivery of GEDSI-specific activities including the Special and Inclusive Education (SIE) support to MoE and the Women in School Leadership initiative.

Key Responsibilities:

GEDSI Mainstreaming

• Lead or oversee the development of an AFEP GEDSI Strategy and Action Plan, building on the achievements and lessons from previous phases of Australian support.
• Contribute to the Platform-wide GEDSI stocktake and GEDSI analysis with specific focus on a GEDSI analysis of the education sector, MoE strategies and plans ensuring consultations with Fiji government and civil society partners, and other sector stakeholders will be conducted. 
• From the findings of the GEDSI analysis provide recommendations and agree actions with to MoE,  to strengthen GEDSI in policies, plans and budgets – including through the revision of the Education Act.
• Together with the Senior Manager, Education Systems Strengthening and other AFEP technical staff, support MoE to implement recommendations from the GEDSI analysis to strengthen GEDSI outcomes across the education sector.
• Work collaboratively with the Team Leader, AFEP technical leads and MoE counterparts to ensure that GEDSI is carefully considered and meaningfully integrated into all AFEP workstreams: curriculum reform, teacher and school leader professional development, student wellbeing, and evidence-driven policy, planning and practice.
• Support to MoE LDU to analyse and address the gendered barriers to women’s career progression within the education system.

Curriculum reform

• Continue to promote through AFEP technical support to MoE diversity, equity and inclusion in curriculum materials, through review and revision of teaching and learning materials.
• Support curriculum specialists and coaches to mentor teachers to deliver these new materials effectively, and to strengthen inclusive teaching practice. 

Teacher Professional Development and Women in School Leadership

• Oversee and guide the Senior Specialist, Teacher Professional Development, to support LDU, CAS and other relevant MoE units to analyse and address the barriers to women teachers’ career advancement, including through the Women in School Leadership program.
• Support the development of policies to promote equitable and inclusive recruitment and career pathways for teachers and school leaders, and promotion of equitable and inclusive classroom practice.

Equitable access and participation and student wellbeing

• Support MoE, in collaboration with the AFEP Senior Manager, Education System Strengthening, and Senior Specialist, Education Evaluation and Research, to undertake or commission targeted research and analysis, including of disaggregated FEMIS data on priority GEDSI issues. These may include boys’ early drop-out, barriers to participation for children (especially girls) with disabilities, including gender-based violence, and weaker learning outcomes among students in maritime and remote areas.
• Draw on this analysis to support MoE to develop strategies to support equitable education access and inclusive practice.
• In its support to MoE on FEMIS, AFEP will continue to support collection, analysis and use of gender- and disability-disaggregated data. This will include continued training for MoE officials at all levels on the use of the disability disaggregation tool.
• Lead AFEP work on safe and inclusive schools and student wellbeing, including support to MoE to establish counselling hubs to support schools across the country, and possible AFEP support to address school-related gender based violence.

Special and Inclusive Education

The Senior Manager GEDSI, in collaboration with STA disability inclusion specialists will oversee and support the AFEP SIE team, with a focus on supporting:

• MoE to implement its Special and Inclusive Education policy.
• Teachers and district education officers to identify students with disabilities and mobilise appropriate support, such as facilitating access to SIE grants, referrals to specialist services, and development of Individual Education Plans.
• CAS, school leaders and teachers to adapt and deliver the revised literacy and numeracy curricula to students with disabilities in both special and mainstream (inclusive) schools.
• Awareness raising in school communities with OPDs on the right of children with disabilities to access quality education; building referral links with medical services in collaboration with the health program. 
   

Key Working Relationships:

Reporting to: 

• Team Leader, Education

Other:

• Ministry of Education (MoE) counterparts including SIE and CAS officials, LDU and SAAC, district education officers, Heads of School and teachers.
• Civil Society Organisations, including Organisations of People with Disabilities and women’s and girls’ rights organisations.
• AFEP Senior Manager, Education Systems Strengthening, SIE team, Teacher Professional Development Specialist, and other AFEP technical leads.
   

Selection Criteria:

Qualifications

• Degree qualification related to Education, Development Studies, Gender Studies, or other relevant field

Knowledge and Experience

• Demonstrated experience in GEDSI analysis, strategy development, activity design and delivery, preferably in the education sector.
• Demonstrated experience supporting GEDSI mainstreaming, preferably in education programs.
• Demonstrated experience in special education such as special needs / learning disabilities knowledge and mainstreaming pedagogies.
• Demonstrated experience collaborating with government and civil society partners, including Organisations of People with Disabilities (OPDs) and women’s and girls’ rights organisations.
• Demonstrated experience in technical leadership and team management, preferably in the Fiji education sector.

Personal Attributes

• Ability to think analytically and systematically in preparing implementation plans, budgets and reports according to the activity outputs.
• Ability to work independently in a flexible and diverse team environment.
• Ability to work collaboratively and respond flexibly to changed circumstances and priorities.
   

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