Consultancy for Gender-Sensitive Pedagogy Assessment and Classroom Safety Audit at Save The Children

​​​​​​​Scope of the Study

Geographical scope covers five LGAs: Mafa and Ngala (Borno), Yola South (Adamawa), and Gujba and Gulani (Yobe). The study will consider pre-primary, primary and lower secondary settings where ECW-supported activities are implemented or planned. Sampling will ensure representation of different school types (formal, non-formal/ALP), teacher profiles (female/male, qualified/volunteer), and learner characteristics (age, sex, type and degree of disability, displacement status).

• Participatory and inclusive approaches will be applied to ensure voices of girls, boys, children with disabilities, caregivers, and teachers are equally represented. Data collection tools will be disability sensitive and gender responsive employing ethical consideration and accessibility accommodation such as sign language interpretation, simplified questionaries and assistive devices where possible. 

Intended Audience and Use of the Study

• ECW consortium partners and education clusters at State/LGA levels for evidence-based planning and adaptive management that promotes inclusive equitable education outcomes.
• State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs), State Ministries of Education (SMoEs) and LGEAs to inform teacher development, supervision and school improvement frameworks that advance gender equality and inclusion of learners with disabilities.
• School leaders, SBMCs and community structures to strengthen inclusive school cultures, foster gender and disability sensitivity and enhance accountability for safe learning spaces.
• Donors, coordination platforms and disability focused organisations to align resources around scalable GSDIP and safe pedagogy.

Expected Deliverables

• A comprehensive report highlighting gender and disability-related gaps in pedagogical practice and classroom safety.
• A set of context-specific recommendations and tools for strengthening gender-sensitive, inclusive teaching and supervision systems.
•  Training and coaching framework integrating GSDIP principles for teachers, headteachers and education officers.
• Policy and systems brief for State level advocacy and resource alignment on inclusive education and teacher support.

Key Study Questions

Pedagogical Practice:

• How do teachers plan and deliver lessons to ensure equitable engagement of all learners? (e.g., inclusive participation techniques, learner groupings, questioning methods, feedback mechanism, and differentiation)?  
• How are classroom interactions managed to minimize gender bias, ableism, stereotyping and violence (including corporal punishment) and to promote respectful, inclusive behaviour among all learners?
•  To what extent do teachers apply gender and disability sensitive classroom management approaches that ensure learners with diverse needs can participate and safely?

Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs) and Assessment:

• To what extent are TLMs gender-responsive, disability inclusive, accessible (e.g. large print, visual aid, simplified text, braille) and free of harmful stereotypes or bias?
• How are assessments designed and used to support equitable, accessible and inclusive learning and avoid gender or disability related bias?
• How are learners with disabilities supported during assessments through reasonable accommodation or assistive technology?

School Environment, Safety and Inclusion:

•  What risks and barriers do girls, boys and children with disabilities face in and around school (e.g. WASH, MHM, accessibility, mobility barriers, routes to school, harassment/GBV or discrimination risks)?
• How inclusive and safe are school facilities for learners with physical, sensory or cognitive disabilities?
• What safeguarding, referral and PSEA measures are known, trusted and used by children, staff and caregivers, and 
• How do these address gender and disability related vulnerabilities?

Systems, Leadership and Support:

• How do headteachers, mentors, coaches and supervisors promote and monitor GSDIP and how effective are they in changing practice?
• What CPD, peer-learning, mentoring, resources and materials are available to teachers on gender equality and disability inclusion and how effective are they in changing the practice?

Community and Caregivers:

• How do social, gender and disability related norms at household/community level influence attendance, participation and learning especially for adolescent girls and children with disabilities? 
• What are feasible strategies to strengthen caregiver and community engagement, including fathers, caregivers of children with disabilities and women groups, to promote  girls’ education, inclusion and voice in school governance?

Impact, Sustainability and Learning:

• What changes (positive/negative, intended/unintended) are associated with current education interventions on safety, inclusion, participation and learning outcomes for girls and children with disabilities?
• •    What adaptations are needed to sustain GSDIP and ensure school systems continue to uphold equity and accessibility post-project?

Study Methodology

Study Design

• Mixed-methods, participatory and inclusive design aligned with child safeguarding, gender equality and disability inclusion principles, and the nine basic requirements for meaningful child participation. Methods will prioritize safety, accessibility, dignity and do-no-harm and will be conflict, gender and disability-sensitive.
• Desk review of policies, curricula, teacher guides, CPD materials and prior assessments. Related to inclusive education, gender and disability rights frameworks.
•  Key Informant Interviews (KIIs): SUBEB/SMoE/LGEA officials, headteachers, mentors/coaches, SBMCs, INGO/NNGO partners and representatives of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs).
• Focus Group Discussions (FGDs): female/male teachers; girls and boys (separated by age/sex); include children with disabilities with appropriate accommodations.
• Structured classroom observations using a GSDIP rubric (e.g., participation balance, bias reduction, inclusive instructional strategies).
•  School environment/safety walkabouts and accessibility audits using WASH, safety and universal design checklists.
• Short teacher/learner questionnaires (as feasible) to complement qualitative insights ensuring inclusive formats (e.g. easy read versions, visuals, audio).

Sampling

• Purposive and stratified sampling covering the five LGAs. Within each LGA, select a representative mix of schools/learning centres. Ensure inclusion of male and female teachers, volunteers, and diverse learner groups. Sample size and distribution will be finalized in the Inception Report based on accessibility and security.

Data Disaggregation & Analysis

• All primary data will be disaggregated by sex, age, disability status, location and school type. The team will apply a coding framework aligned to study questions; qualitative data will be thematically analysed, while quantitative items will be summarised descriptively to triangulate findings.
• Special attention will be given to identifying gender and disability disparities in participation, safety and learning outcomes and to generating actionable insights for inclusive programming. 

Quality Assurance & Risk Management

• Enumerator training on safeguarding, PSEA, gender equality, disability inclusion, conflict sensitivity and GSDIP concepts.
• Pilot testing of tools in one location and iterative refinement to ensure cultural, gender and disability sensitivity.
• Daily debriefs, spot checks and secure data management (encrypted devices, restricted access).
• Security-informed planning with partners; flexible scheduling to accommodate access constraints and participants with accessibility needs.

Ethical and safeguarding Considerations

• The assessment will adhere to ethical standards ensuring informed consent, confidentiality, and protection of all participants, particularly children, women, and persons with disabilities. Enumerators and data collectors will receive orientation on gender sensitivity, safeguarding, and disability inclusion protocols, ensuring respectful engagement and do-no-harm principles throughout the process.
• Adherence to Save the Children’s Safeguarding, PSEA, Data Protection/Privacy and Code of Conduct policies.
• Informed consent (adults) and informed assent (children); voluntary participation; right to withdraw.
• Confidentiality, anonymisation of data and secure storage/transfer; no photography without explicit consent.
• Age- and gender-appropriate methods; reasonable accommodations for children with disabilities.
• Do-no-harm approach; field-level risk assessment and mitigation prior to activities.
• Established referral pathways for child protection, GBV and MHPSS; trained focal points available during data collection.
• Ethics approval via internal review (and external IRB if required) prior to fieldwork.

Deliverables and Timeline (Indicative)

Deliverable / Milestone    Timeline

• Contracting and Kick-off / Inception meeting                                                -  10/12/2025
• Inception Report (methodology, tools, sampling, analysis plan, ethics)         - 11/12/2025
• Ethics submission/approval (if applicable)                                                      - 11/12/2025
• Tools finalisation & training of field team                                                       - 13/01/2026
• Field data collection (all LGAs)                                                                        -  23/01/2026
• Data management and analysis                                                                      - 27/01/2026
• Draft Study Report + PowerPoint                                                                    - 02/02/2026
• Validation workshop with stakeholders (per state)                                         - 12/02/2026
• Final Study Report (incorporating feedback) and clean dataset                     - 16/02/2026

Study Management

• The consultant will report to the ECW Consortium Education Lead and the Gender Equality & Inclusion (GEI) Technical Lead, with oversight from MEAL.  Technical guidance will be provided to ensure that gender equality, disability inclusion and child safeguarding principles are mainstreamed throughout the study design, data collection. Analysis and reporting processes.
• Collaboration will be maintained with relevant inclusion partners, such as OPDs, Women/Girls lead Organisations (WGLOs), inclusive education units within SUBEB/SMOE to ensure that diverse perspectives inform the assessment.   
• State-level focal persons (Borno, Adamawa, Yobe) will facilitate access, logistics and coordination with LGEAs and SBMCs, ensuring the meaningful participation of women, P/CWDs and marginalized groups in school and community consultations. Regular check-ins between the consultant, GEDI technical Lead and MEAL team will be held to review progress, validate emerging findings through inclusion lens, and ensure ethnical and accessibility standards are met. 

Consultant Selection Criteria

• Advanced degree in Gender Studies or Social Sciences or Inclusive Education. .
• Minimum 7–10 years’ experience in Gender Equality Mainstreaming or inclusive education, with experience in humanitarian/fragile settings. Demonstrated experience conducting Gender Equality and Disability assessments using child-participatory, gender sensitive, and disability inclusive approaches with strong understanding of ethical Standards for working with children and persons with disabilities
• Proficiency in qualitative and quantitative methods; familiarity with GEDI framework and tools such as ODK/KoBo; and strong analysis and report writing skills that reflect gender and disability disaggregation and inclusion focused interpretation.
• Knowledge of Northeast Nigeria context and ability to work safely and sensitively across BAY states understanding the local gender dynamics, social inclusion barriers and accessibility considerations preferred, Proficiency in Hausa or Kanuri ability an advantage.
• Commitment to safeguarding, PSEA and data protection; ability to establish safe referrals, ensure accessibility in engagement processes and uphold do-no-harm principles for women, children and persons with disabilities.

Financial Proposal

• Save the Children seeks value for money in its work. This does not necessarily mean "lowest cost", but quality of the service and reasonableness of the proposed costs. Proposals shall include personnel allocation (role / number of days / daily rates / taxes), as well as any other applicable costs.

Schedule of Payment

The following payments will be made to the consultant using and agreed mode of payment

• Upon approval of inception report and tools: [30%]
•  Upon submission of First Draft study Report: [40%]
• Upon approval of final study report: [30%]