Call for proposals

Building Resilience: Education Opportunities in Fragile and Crisis Affected Environments - EuropeAid/154521/DH/ACT/Multi

 

Objectives and description 

The global objective of this call for proposals is to maintain and contribute to improved access to quality basic education (pre-school, primary and lower secondary education) for children in fragile and crisis-affected environments.

The specific objective of this call for proposals is to develop evidence-based models and deliver safe quality basic education for children in fragile and protracted crisis environments, contributing to building at the same time societal and institutional resilience to make these actions sustainable over time.

 

Priority areas

Each proposal must address all of the below priorities.

 

·         Safe learning environments

Proposed actions will need to focus on safe learning environments that make sure that children are safe in and around schools and that contribute to the emotional, psychological and physical wellbeing of children.

 

·         Teaching and learning

Actions will need to focus on professional development for teachers and school leadership in crisis environments and help teachers navigating a dual role of helping students coping with conflict and crisis whilst at the same time experiencing psychosocial challenges themselves.

 

·         Research, data management and evidence building

Proposed actions will need to address the common challenge of collecting accurate data about education including teachers and children in need of education, their access to educational opportunities and the quality of the education they receive. Where possible, actions will need to focus on strengthening education authorities both at national and local level to efficiently manage data collection for analysis, planning and implementation purposes. Research on teaching and learning will need to be imbedded into project proposals to ensure evidence building as a sound basis for policy development and action at national, regional and global level. Linkages should be made to existing global and regional knowledge management networks and initiatives and platforms. 

 

·         Conflict sensitiveness

Proposed actions need to adopt a conflict sensitive approach and take into account the International Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) Minimum Standards for Education including the Standards for Conflict Sensitive Education with the purpose of reducing conflict and doing no harm. The proposed action needs to builds on the logic underpinning each of the action’s interrelated and mutually reinforcing components. Safe learning environments are essential to both access and quality of education. Investment in teachers' professional development and better teaching and learning resources contributes to improved quality of education and well-being of teachers. Interventions should be linked to existing education systems where they exist and are functioning at both central and local level.

 

Eligible activities

Sectors or themes

·         Quality education (pre-school, primary and lower secondary education) in crisis (man-made) affected environments

·         Safe learning environments for children, youth, teachers and education personnel

·         Strengthening of education systems at national and decentralized level

·         Research, evidence building and data management

 

Location

Proposed actions must take place in only two eligible countries. The list of eligible countries is: Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, Djibouti, Iraq, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Cameroon, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Mali, Tanzania, Niger, Nigeria and Colombia.

Nevertheless, punctual activities may, if duly justified in the description of the action, take place in EU countries when they are directly related to situations arising in third countries and for the benefit of those countries, e.g. a seminar or conference, a visit to the European Institutions, an opening or closing of a campaign in an EU Member State, a specific exhibition or other similar single events. These reasons will be examined during the evaluation process.

 

Types of action

Actions can target the following education options in fragile and crisis environments: formal and non-formal education, both primary and lower secondary, early childhood development and accelerated learning programmes for youth who miss several years of education. Interventions should be linked to existing education systems where they exist and are functioning at both central and local level.

 

Types of activity (not exhaustive list)

Safe learning environments:

·         Establishment of community based protection mechanisms directed to schools as safe learning environments, with a particular focus on girls;

·         Provision of psycho-social support and other actions oriented to teacher and children's pscyho-social wellbeing

·         Elaboration and implementation of a code of conduct for teachers and school leadership in crisis-affected environments.

·         Awareness raising and capacity building for governmental and non-governmental personnel on compliance with international human rights and humanitarian law to make sure that schools are protected and provide for a safe learning environment

 

Teaching and learning:

·         Establishment of standards for professional development of teachers in protracted crisis environments, including psycho-social support to teachers and crisis-specific training modules.

·         Establishing innovative pathways to recruit and select teachers

·         Curricula adaptation and development and ensure adequate instruction and learning processes

·         Development and application of adequate assessment methods of learning outcomes

·         In-service professional development adapted to the local context, including the use distance learning and ICT and peer-to-peer support of teachers and school leadership

·         Capitation grants mechanisms for schools that focus on supporting teachers’ professional development and quality education.

·         Pursue accreditation and recognition of teacher and curricula certification, especially for teachers working with refugees and displaced populations and in non-formal settings.

 

Data management and evidence building:

·         Capacity building of education personnel both at national and local level to manage education data for analysis, planning and implementation purposes

·         Strengthen teacher management information system managed by the Ministry of Education

·         Development of data collection mechanisms that are resilient in the face of conflict and crisis

·         Production of context specific guidance notes and reports based on clear needs as tools for learning and scale up programs

·         Community engagement in data collection, evidence gathering and monitoring

·         Research and impact assessment to demonstrate evidence of what works in crisis environments

·         Strategy to distribute knowledge and evidence to influence policy making and decision taking at national, regional and global level (with link to global networks and initiatives)

·         Organisation of knowledge and practice sharing events with relevant stakeholders

 

Eligible participants

In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:

·         be a legal person and

·         be non-profit-making and

·         be a specific type of organisation such as: non-governmental organisation, international (inter-governmental) organisation and

be established in:

·         a Member State of the European Union; or

·         a Non-EU country of the European Economic Area; or

·         an IPA II beneficiary country; or

·         a developing country or territory, included in the OECD-DAC list of ODA recipients, which is not member of the G20 group;

·         an Overseas Country and Territory (OCTs); or

·         a Non EU Member State of the OECD only when actions are implemented in a "Least Developed Country or in a Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC)".

 

Co-applicant(s)

The participation of co-applicants is obligatory for this call for proposals. Partnerships between the lead applicant and co-applicant(s) must include:

·         at least two co-applicants and

·         The two countries where the action will take place must be represented in the partnership by at least one local organisation. The organisation(s) can be either the lead applicant and/or one of the co-applicants; and

·         at least one organisation in the partnership that has proven experience in conducting research on teaching and learning.

Funding conditions and duration

The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 21 million.

 

Any requested EU contribution under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:

·         minimum amount: EUR 4 million

·         maximum amount: EUR 5 million

 

Any requested EU contribution under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum percentages of total eligible costs of the action:

·         Minimum percentage: 51% of the total eligible costs of the action.

·         Maximum percentage: 90% of the total eligible costs of the action for lead applicants established in the country where the action takes place and 80% for lead applicants established in a Member State of the European Union, OECD countries and contracting parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area.  

 

The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 48 months nor exceed 60 months.

 

Deadline of proposals' submission

This is a restricted call for proposals. In the first instance, only concept notes must be submitted for evaluation. Thereafter, lead applicants who have been pre-selected will be invited to submit a full application. The deadline for the submission of concept notes is 6 April 2017 at 16h00 at (Brussels date and time).

 

The concept note together with the declaration by the lead applicant must be submitted online via PROSPECT https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/europeaid/prospect following the instructions given in the PROSPECT user manual.

 

Further information

Please, find attached the call documents.

 

Any additional specific questions related to this call may be addressed to the helpdesk email: EuropeAid-154521@ec.europa.eu

 

More information: http://tinyurl.com/h9ct2zw

 

To help applicants familiarise themselves with the system before the online submission, an information session will be organised on 27 February 2017, 15.00h (CET), Brussels.Should you be interested in this session, please send an email by 25 February 2017, 12.00h (Brussels time) to EUROPEAID-B4@ec.europa.eu, indicating: name, surname, nationality, date of birth, ID/Passport number and email address of the persons who are going to participate as well as their organisation (max. two participants per organisation). No costs incurred by the applicants for attending this information session are reimbursable.

 

 

Kind Regards,

Rosemary

 

    

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE GREEK TRANSLATION OF THE CALLS IS PROVIDED AT REQUEST OF ANY INTERESTED MEMBER (based on the decision of 22.12.2016 of the EOC Administrative Council).