Consultant on Out-of-School Children and Youth - Rights-Based Research and Policy Analysis

JOB DETAILS

Type of contract : Consultant Contract

Level : Level 2 - Middle

Hiring Unit : Education Sector (ED)

Duty Station : Paris

Work location : Remote

Duration of contract : 4 months

Hiring open to : External candidates

Application deadline (Midnight UTC+1 Time) : 23/11/2026

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

OVERVIEW

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

Exclusion across education trajectories

Despite major expansion of education worldwide, an estimated 273 million children and youth of primary and secondary school age remain out of school, and many more enrolled learners are at risk of leaving before completion. Educational exclusion is not a single event: learners may never enter education, enter late, disengage progressively, leave before completion, be excluded at critical transition points, or be unable to find an appropriate pathway back. The challenge starts early and does not stop at secondary school. While higher education enrolment has grown rapidly to 269 million students with a gross enrolment ratio of 44% in 2024, yet the global gross graduation ratio for bachelor's and master's programmes was 27%, and available evidence points to significant attrition in many systems. Systematic and internationally comparable data on higher education dropout remain limited. Understanding exclusion therefore requires following learner trajectories, from early learning to tertiary education, rather than treating being "out of school" as a single status.

Long Description

Profiles, barriers and the architecture of systems
Exclusion results from the interaction between learner profiles that face disproportionate risks and the barriers that prevent learners from entering, remaining in, progressing through or completing education. Risks are unevenly distributed across children affected by poverty, disability, gender inequality, displacement, ethnicity or language, rural isolation, and conflict or climate vulnerability, and they compound through intersectionality. The barriers can be read as push factors (poor quality or relevance of learning, unsafe or discriminatory school environments, inaccessible schools, weak support for learners at risk), pull factors (poverty and education-related costs, child labour and care responsibilities, social norms, migration, displacement, conflict- or climate-related disruption) and systemic factors (underinvestment, regional and socioeconomic inequalities, legal and administrative restrictions, weak governance and planning, exclusionary rules on admission, progression or recognition of learning). These are points of intervention, not exclusive causes: a learner may face poverty, meet an inaccessible school, and live in a system too weak to respond. The architecture of education systems matters in itself. High-stakes examinations, early tracking, restrictive admission rules, limited articulation between academic and vocational routes, and the absence of viable routes for re-entry can all amplify exclusion at critical transition points.

ASSIGNMENTS

Specifically, the Consultant shall carry out the following tasks:

1. Conduct desk-based research, literature review, and data collection on the profiles of OOSCY, as well as on the specific push, pull, and systemic factors driving children and youth out of school across the world building on work conducted by UNESCO. This will draw on existing material, notably Member State’s reports on normative instruments, UIS and GEM Report data, OOSCI reports, the Observatory of the right to Education and United Nations treaty body and UPR outcomes. The approach will be based on mapping the available sources, analyzing the push, pull and systemic factors using the 5A framework, and triangulation of legal, policy, and statistical evidence.
2. If required, prepare a questionnaire to complement the research and analysis of the profiles of OOSCY, and factors of exclusion and dropouts, focusing on the gaps identified under task 1.
3. Identify key project partners and discussion contributions they can make to the paper, conduct consultations.
4. Identify promising practices from different regions, including those reported in notably the sources listed under task 1.
5. Propose a detailed outline including solutions and policy guidance for Member States and other key stakeholders. The paper, and its findings, policy pointers and conclusions, will feed UNESCO’s broader OOSC Toolkit, to strengthen its rights-based dimension.
6. According to a detailed outline provided by UNESCO, and by liaising with key partners of the project, elaborate a draft paper on out-of-school children and youth from a rights-based perspective (approx. 30 pages) on the basis of the desk-based research and analysis, and possible government responses to questionnaires, partner contributions and further consultations.
7. Integrate UNESCO’s initial reviews and comments, reviews provided as part of the review processes and finalize the paper based on UNESCO’s internal review and external review by partners and stakeholders consulted.

CONTRACT DURATION

The consultancy is expected to last about 4 months (approximately 86 working days) from January 2026 to end of April 2027. The work is home-based. The specified dates for the deliverables indicated below are subject to adjustment based on content of the consultant offer.
The contractor should ensure that all visibility materials are produced in line with UNESCO's branding guidelines. Please refer to the UNESCO Style Manual for citation style, terminology and spelling, abbreviations, references, etc.
In line with UNESCO's overall gender mainstreaming strategy, the contractor is expected to integrate a gender perspective in all activities and apply gender analysis and mainstreaming concepts whenever feasible.

Long Description

DELIVERABLES

Deliverable 1: Inception report : Work plan, review framework and search strategy, enriched data collection and literature review plan, annotated outline

Deliverable 2: Draft final report including UNESCO review and peer reviews

Long Description

COMPETENCIES - Core (C) & Managerial (M)

• Communication (C)
• Accountability (C)
• Innovation (C)
• Knowlegde sharing and continuous improvement (C)
• Planning and organizing (C)
• Results focus (C)
• Teamwork (C)

For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Advanced post-graduate degree (Master’s or higher) in education, human rights, social sciences, or other related fields.

WORK EXPERIENCE

• 4 years of experience in related area with experience on data analysis, research and triangulation.
• Strong experience working on out-of-school children and youth (OOSCY), school disengagement and dropout.
• Experience with international organizations, preferably in multilateral settings and in crisis-affected or displacement contexts.

Long Description

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• Strong knowledge of human rights.
• Strong analytical and research skills.
• Knowledge on the right to education and child’s rights would be particularly valuable.
• Proven interpersonal and communication skills.
• The ability to effectively work within a complex and multicultural environment

LANGUAGES

• Excellent writing skills in English and command of the French language.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Long Description

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information, by the above deadline.

To apply, please visit the UNESCO Careers website. No modifications can be made to the application once submitted.

The process may include pre-recorded video interviews and/or written assessments, interviews with a Panel, as well as reference checks. In addition, candidates may be requested to provide additional information which may be pertinent to the position’s qualifications.

Please note that all candidates, whether selected or not, will be informed of the outcome of their application in due course.

Short-listed candidates may also be added to Talent Pools; subject to their consent (i.e. Data Privacy Statement).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• UNESCO recalls that paramount consideration in the appointment of personnel shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, technical competence and integrity.
• UNESCO applies a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of harassment.
• lndividuals from minority groups and indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.
• All applications will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality.
• UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the hiring process.