The purpose of this research is to explore and evaluate the current state of inclusion and social cohesion within schools across Ukraine. This study will focus on assessing perceptions, stereotypes and biases influencing the attitudes and behaviors of children, teachers, school administrators, and local authorities towards a diverse range of non-majority groups, including but not limited to Roma children, children with disabilities, children with family members in/outside the military, children who speak Russian as their primary language, children with special educational needs, LGBTQ+ young people, displaced children, and children who fled the country after the full-scale invasion and either remain abroad or came back to their hometown or new places of residence within Ukraine, as well as children across a range of socio-economic status. Given the complex socio-political environment, this study will provide critical insights into how well schools across a range of contexts are equipped -- considering their physical infrastructure, pedagogical approaches, cultural competencies, human resources, and adherence to relevant policies -- to support these diverse groups and foster sense of belonging. Additionally, it will offer a comparative analysis of the situation in rural versus urban areas.
A significant aspect of this research is to explore the role of teachers' and other educational staff's capacity and attitudes in fostering an inclusive and supportive school environment. The research will investigate how their perspectives influence not only the attitudes and behaviors of their students but also promote social relationships among children, teachers and other educational staff within the school community and strengthen sense of belonging. Additionally, the study will explore how schools foster connectedness through collaboration with external institutions, such as Inclusive Resource Centers to support diverse learners, and in what ways does this collaboration enhance educational and social inclusion.
The research fits into a broader campaign to enhance social inclusion through the education system in Ukraine, particularly in war-affected areas - to build back better, ensuring that all children and adolescents have access to quality education. The findings will support ongoing efforts to adapt educational, resilience and protection strategies and approaches to foster inclusivity and social cohesion during and after the war, for early recovery of young people and educational systems.
2. AUDIENCE AND USE
This research is predominantly intended for PIN's internal use, to adapt and improve its current education and resilience programming. However, the research findings are also intended to provide valuable insights that can be utilized by wider stakeholders, including local education authorities, school administrators, teachers, and civil society organizations involved in education, youth empowerment and child protection in Ukraine. Additionally, international organizations and donors engaged in supporting education in crisis contexts will benefit from the findings.
The research findings will be used to:
What is the current state of inclusion and social cohesion in Ukrainian schools, particularly in relation to different minority and vulnerable groups, and how do the attitudes and behaviors of different stakeholders involved in formal education influence the overall school interactions, and school capacity to create safe, inclusive, empowering learning environments for diverse student groups?
More detailed questions:
* How do different stakeholders within the education system perceive and interact with children from different minority and vulnerable groups?
* What are the key factors influencing these perceptions and interactions?
* How do the attitudes of teachers and other school staff influence the inclusion and empowerment of students, particularly those from minority and vulnerable groups?
* How well are schools in Ukraine physically and culturally equipped to support and include these minority and vulnerable groups?
* How do students perceive the inclusivity of their learning environment, and what barriers do they face in terms of cohesion, bullying, communication with peers, and their overall interest in education?
* What are the strengths and weaknesses of the current school environments, curricula, and teacher training programs in promoting inclusion and social cohesion?
* How do gender dynamics influence the experiences of inclusion and social cohesion in schools?
* How do schools collaborate with external institutions, such as Inclusive Resource Centres, to support the needs of diverse learners, and what impact does this collaboration have on fostering inclusion and social cohesion?
* What support do teachers need to effectively address the challenges of fostering an inclusive environment, and how can these solutions be integrated?
* What specific strategic adjustments are required in Ukraine's education system to remove existing barriers and, as well, effectively address the challenges arising from the ongoing conflict, displacement, and recovery efforts?
* How do parents perceive the barriers their children face in education, and what are their views on the role of teachers and the education system in addressing these challenges?
5. FRAMEWORK AND APPROACH
The research will build on previous internal and external studies on inclusion and education in Ukraine, with a specific focus on the inclusion in Ukrainian educational facilities during the ongoing war. The service provider needs to ensure that they consult with local experts or organizations that have expertise working on the inclusion of different social groups who will be engaged in this research. The framework will consider how intersecting identities - such as ethnicity, disability, language, religion, gender identity and sexuality - affect experiences of inclusion and social cohesion in schools. Additionally, it will explore how schools can be spaces of resilience and healing for children affected by the conflict, while also considering how they may become spaces of exclusion if certain policies, attitudes, and behaviors reinforce negative dynamics. It is crucial that the service provider collaborates with local experts to ensure that the perspectives and needs of diverse social groups are accurately reflected and integrated into the research outcomes. The approach will also emphasize the interconnections between the education sector and other sectors such as recovery and protection:
By integrating these sectors, the research will aim to provide a holistic understanding of the role of education in promoting inclusion and social cohesion of communities affected by the war.
6. RESEARCH METHODS
The research shall employ a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. The following methods may be used:
NOTE: The approach and methodology proposed by the Service Provider shall be realistic; it shall consider the Service Provider's available resources and capacities, and time limitations mentioned in section 8.3 of this ToR. Possible limitations regarding achievement of the outcomes that Service Provider anticipates shall be described in the technical offer.
7. GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The research will be conducted in selected regions across Ukraine: Sumy Oblast, Dnipropetrovska Oblast, Kharkivska Oblast, Ivano-Frankivska Oblast, Mykolaivska Oblast
The provider may propose reducing the number of research areas to min 3 out of these oblasts.
The required deliverables for this consultancy are:
Reports shall be in English. Tools shall be prepared in Ukrainian (with translation in English if it is needed to support analysis). Translation costs shall be considered in the financial offer as needed.
8.2 Specific Tasks
8.3 Workplan
Research is expected to take approximately 12 weeks from January till April 2025.
The table below shows indicative tasks and timelines (calendar days/weeks):
Prior to drafting inception report and developing tools
Inception report & proposed methodology
Draft due 10 calendar days after contract signed, finalized within 15 days of contract (including time for PIN's review)
Tools drafted, discussed, field tested & finalized
1 week after inception report (including time for PIN's review and approval of tools)
Data cleaning, analysis & draft report (incl. Executive Summary)
3 weeks, including: initial review by PIN, revision by the Consultant based on feedback; second review and finalisation.
The contracted researchers are expected to prioritize conflict sensitivity throughout the study by implementing all fundamental measures, such as adopting neutral language and culturally respectful approaches. Given the study's sensitive nature, the researchers shall include a detailed assessment of anticipated risks and limitations in their technical offer, along with a mitigation plan. This plan should identify potential risks associated with the study, propose strategies to mitigate them, and ensure proactive management of these risks. The researchers' commitment to this process will be essential in conducting the study safely, ethically, and in alignment with conflict-sensitive standards.
10. RESEARCH ETHICS
When dealing with personal data, PIN follows Guidelines on Processing Personal Data and The Principles of Work with Personal Data. PIN's MEAL manual contains guidance that is applicable to research by PIN (relevant extract of the document can be provided to the consultant contracted for the service upon request). In line with these documents, the research team will make clear to all participating stakeholders that they are under no obligation to participate in the survey or other data collection activities. The research team will inform respondents about acquiring their data from PIN (if applicable) and obtain informed consent from the participants, or from caregivers when approaching children as respondents. In case any special category data (e.g. about health, ethnicity, religion etc.), the research team shall obtain signed consent from the participant or caregiver. The research team will ensure prior permission is received for taking and use of visual images for specific purposes. The evaluation team will ensure the visual data is protected and used for agreed purposes only. In particular, the Consultant will employ robust data security measures (related to storing and sharing datasets containing personal information) to further ensure participants' confidentiality and anonymity.
11. QUALITIFCATION AND EVALUATION CRITERIA
To accept or reject the bid is the responsibility of the Evaluation Committee, the decision of which shall be final.
11.1. Qualification criteria
If a bidder does not meet any of the Qualification Criteria, they will be excluded from the further tender process. To qualify for the next round in the process (i.e. technical evaluation), bidders are required to submit a full package of documents that provide sufficient information for evaluation of their ability to deliver service according to this ToR. Documentation (mentioned below, in clause 1-5 of the Article 11.1) shall be prepared in English and shall include:
11.2. Evaluation criteria
The evaluation committee will evaluate and award the Service Provider on the basis of the following evaluation criteria:
[Means of verification: Technical Proposal (Organisational profile and info about the team); expert CVs.]
[Means of verification: Technical Proposal (Overview/list of assessments or research projects undertaken by the Service Provider and involved experts in the last two years); expert CVs.]
[Means of verification: Technical proposal (data collection and analysis methodology, timeline, risk mitigation measures); Financial proposal]
[Means of verification: Submitted sample reports of the previous research. Additionally, PIN may approach previous contractors for references if needed]
For each bid, points from all evaluation criteria will be added up and the winning bid will be the bid with the highest number of points. In case of equal number of points, the winning bid will be the one with the lowest price. Criteria are scored as described below.
Technical criteria:
Evaluation committee will assess the offer assigning up to 5 points for each criterion, based on the following evaluation grid:
Excellent: no weaknesses shown with regards to assessed criterion and exceeds the requirement - provides comprehensive, detailed, and convincing assurances that the services will be delivered to an excellent standard
4
Very good: demonstrates good understanding and fully meets the requirements - offers assurances that the service delivered will be of a high standard
3
Satisfactory: demonstrates reasonable understanding of the requirements and gives reasonable assurance of delivery of services to an adequate standard, but does not provide sufficiently convincing assurance to be able to award them a higher mark
2
Reservations exist with regards to the assessed criterion - lacks full credibility/convincing detail, and there is a significant risk that the service may be delivered/be successful
1
Serious reservations exist with regards to the assessed criterion - this may be the case when, for example, insufficient detail is provided and the offer has fundamental flaws, or seriously lacks credibility with a high risk of non-delivery
Offer completely fails to address the criterion under consideration
The evaluation result of this criterion equals the following formula: Points B/Points A * criteria weight. Points A = maximum possible score (5); Points B = actual score received from the committee. NOTE: The offer receiving 2 or less scores against any of the technical evaluation criteria will be considered as not capable of delivering the quality output and excluded from further consideration.
Evaluation result of this criterion equals to following formula: Price A/Price B * criteria weight. Price A = lowest price from all submitted offers; Price B = actual price offered by the bidder (price will include transportation).
After the Inception Report has been submitted and approved by PIN
50%
After the final version of the final evaluation report has been submitted and approved by PIN