Job Description

Posted on April 27, 2024

TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR)
CONDUCT BUDGET TRACKING OF THE UTILISATION OF THE EDUCATION BUDGET.
Background
Zambia National Educational Coalition (ZANEC) is an umbrella body for 93 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) that include Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Faith Based Organizations (FBOs), Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), Teacher Trade Unions (TTUs) and Students Unions. ZANEC envisages a quality national education system that is accessible, relevant, and equitable for human development in Zambia. As a result, the mission of ZANEC is to campaign and advocate for quality and equitable education through the attainment of national education aspirations and international Sustainable Development Goal number four through education policy engagement with the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ), Cooperating Partners (CPs), communities and other stakeholders.
One of the ways used by the Coalition to ensure that duty-bearers reinforce their commitments towards the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially SDG 4 on education: “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” is through evidence-based advocacy. It is for this reason that ZANEC would like to conduct a budget expenditure tracking of the Zambian Education Sector
RATIONALE
The Government of Zambia allocates significant funds to the education sector annually with the aim of improving access, quality and equity in education. However, there is a need to ensure transparency and accountability in the utilisation of these funds especially from spending agencies (school level). This TOR aims to engage a qualified individual or organization to conduct budget tracking of the education budget in Zambia for the fiscal years 2022 and 2023 with a focus on the free education grants.
OBJECTIVE
The primary objective of this assignment is to track the utilisation of the free education grants in Zambia for 2022 and 2023, aiming to assess the effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency of expenditure, and to provide recommendations for improvement.
SCOPE OF WORK
The consultant/firm shall:

Review the allocated education sector budget for Zambia for the years 2022 and 2023.
Analyse budget allocations to various sub-sectors within education, including ECE, primary, secondary, and tertiary education, as well as other relevant areas such as disability inclusion, infrastructure development, teacher training, and educational materials.
Track actual expenditure against allocated budgets at the school level, including identifying any deviations or discrepancies.
Identify any challenges or bottlenecks in budget implementation at the school level and provide recommendations for improvement.
Prepare comprehensive reports for each fiscal year, including findings, analysis, and recommendations.

DELIVERABLES

Inception Report: outline clear methodology, work plan, and data collection tools.
Draft Report: Detailed analysis of budget tracking findings and recommendations.
A PowerPoint presentation to be made at a meeting to be organised by ZANE
A policy brief of not more than two pages
Final Report: Incorporating feedback, revisions, and finalised recommendations.

DURATION
The duration of the assignment shall be 20 days, commencing from the signing of the contract.
QUALIFICATIONS
The consultant should possess the following qualifications:

A minimum of a master’s degree in education, finance, accounting, economics, or a related field
Demonstrated experience in budget analysis and tracking, particularly in the education sector is required.
Familiarity with budgeting and financial management systems in Zambia.
Excellent analytical and report-writing skills.
Excellent communication and report-writing abilities.
Understanding of the education landscape and challenges in Zambia is desirable.

All expressions of interest with a detailed budget for the research must be submitted through email to the address below by 13:30hrs on Friday 26th April 2024.
The Executive Director,
Zambia National Education Coalition,
Baptist Fellowship Building,
Plot 3061/2 Corner Makishi Road and Great East Road,
P.O. Box 30774,
Lusaka-Zambia,
Email:[email protected]

To apply for this job email your details to admin@zanec.org.zm