Terms Of Reference for The Consultant to Support Review and Update of Special Needs and Inclusive Education Teacher Training Manual and Development of Technical Guide tender at Chance for Childhood

1.About Chance for Childhood

 We are child centred international non-governmental organization supporting children and young people in Africa who face inequalities such as lack of access to education and safe spaces, providing them with the tools and skills they need to build their own futures. 

We don’t work alone. Together with partners, supporters, children, and their communities, we protect, educate, and create lasting change for every child threatened by violence, neglect and conflict. 

We believe that no child should have to fight for a safe, happy childhood. We exist to ensure that every child in Africa can thrive from their early years through to adulthood.

Our interventions in Africa are in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

2. Project background

• Project Overview

The Realising Inclusive and Safe Education or RISE is a 5-year, multi-country project funded by the Scottish Government. In Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia, RISE will strengthen government support for children with disabilities and ensure these children are able to access a safe and quality education.

RISE will facilitate the Ministry of Education to coordinate the different institutions and actors of Special Needs and Inclusive Education in Rwanda in order to reinforce the Special Needs and Inclusive Education technical working group, which gathers actors in inclusive education on a quarterly basis to share learning, updates and experiences in the sector. The objective is to ensure that the Ministry of Education have appropriate information on how to ensure an inclusive education culture is embedded in the education system in Rwanda. RISE will also strengthen the Education Unit at the District level in Burera, Gakenke and Gicumbi Districts through a Joint Action Development forum, the platform where all the education actors will meet on quarterly basis to share updates from each district, and how to better serve the community. The feedback from these forum will be taken forward to the Ministry of Education, and the same information will be shared across different Ministries and the Rwanda Governance Board, a regulatory body of all the actors/NGOs in Rwanda to inform registration and/or renewal of the registrations of actors.

• Objectives

The key objectives of the RISE project that contribute to a more equitable and inclusive education system that prioritizes safety, well-being, and equal access to quality education for all students, fostering a positive learning experience for everyone involved including learners with disabilities and other special educational needs include but not limited the following:

• Increase accessible enrolment through disability screening, assessment and referral services
• Equip educators with the knowledge, skills, and tools to deliver inclusive and safe education effectively.
• Foster collaboration among families, communities, government entities, and civil society organizations to support inclusive and safe education.

• Expected Project Outcomes

• Outcome 1: Accessible enrolment through disability screening, assessment and referral service
• Outcome 2: School staff include Inclusive Education in the day-to-day operations of the school, including classroom practice
• Outcome 3: Community and school staff are oriented to the safety and wellbeing of Children/Learners with Disabilities

• Sustainability and Long-Term Impact

The project will lay the foundation for a sustainable, inclusive and safe education model by:

• Enabling accessible enrolment through disability screening, assessment and referral services for children with disabilities and other special educational needs
• Building the capacity of school staff to include Inclusive Education in the day-to-day operations of the school, including classroom inclusive pedagogical principles and practices
• Encouraging community and school staff to be oriented to the safety and wellbeing of Children/Learners with Disabilities and other special educational needs

The ultimate goal is to foster a more inclusive, equitable society by ensuring that every child, regardless of their disabilities, has the opportunity to enrol school, learn and progress up to his/her full potentials.

• Key Activities of the project for this Outcome 2: School Staff include Inclusive Education in the day-to-day operations of the school, including classroom practice

The RISE project in collaboration with the Ministry of education through Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB) and other implementations partners will review and update the Ministry of Education’s training modules and manuals before they can be used to train the Trainer of Trainers (ToT) school headteachers and Education Officers, twice a year for five days. In the previous inclusive education interventions, training was mainly offered to the teachers but not the headteachers, making it difficult for the teachers to implement these practices in the schools. With the support of the Ministry of Education and Rwanda Basic Education Board, RISE will make ToT-trained headteachers and education officers responsible to cascade the training, but RISE will pair them with Special Needs Education Coordinators and inclusion trainers (project staff) to ensure quality training is delivered to all primary school teachers.

Teachers will receive a 5-day initial training and a 5-day refresher training from year two onwards and ensure that all the challenges faced by the teachers during the implementation of their improved practices can be studied carefully and tackled practically during the refresher training. To strengthen headteacher collaboration, RISE will activate schools’ Professional Learning Communities, a platform that enables them to exchange learning and experiences with different challenges encountered on the journey to implementing inclusive teaching and learning practices.

Following teacher training, two Inclusive Education Focal Teachers (IEFTs) will be selected per school to act as model teachers and agents of the change in the schools. They will conduct, with the support of the headteacher, a quarterly self-assessment on inclusive education practices at their respective schools and the outcomes of those assessments will be discussed in the quarterly school executive committees.

Since the project’s needs assessment highlighted a lack of teaching and learning materials, RISE will provide practical training to the teachers about how to improvise play and other teaching and learning materials using locally available materials. RISE will strengthen the capacity of the Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB) and the National Examination and School Inspectional Authority (NESA) to revise and incorporate inclusive education indicators in their routine inspection exercises to reinforce the agility and persistence of inclusive practices in all schools at the national level.

To ensure inclusive education is embedded in the culture of education in Rwanda, RISE will also support government bodies, especially the Rwanda National Examination and School Inspection Authority, to revise and make formative and summative assessments and examinations inclusive, which will translate into safe and inclusive transition of leaners with children with disabilities and/or special educational needs to the level of education. Therefore, the expected reviewed and updated teacher training manual on special needs and inclusive education will be used to respond to the following g recommendations from the inception reports and RISE project baseline study:

• Teachers/caregivers should be trained in conducting identification and assessment of CwDs and SEN.
• Training of teachers on the implementation of the curriculum to cater for individual learning.
• Encourage continuous professional development (CPD) for teachers by developing tailored training programs. These programs should cover child development, pedagogical approaches, inclusive education practices, and classroom management.
• Provide opportunities for ongoing professional development through workshops, seminars, community of practices and mentorship programs. 

3. About the Assignment

3.1 Roles and Responsibilities of the Consultant

The consultant will be engaged to lead and facilitate the review and update of the Teacher Training Manual on Special Needs and Inclusive Education (SNIE) and the development of a technical guide to support its implementation. The consultant will work in close collaboration with stakeholders from government agencies, education institutions, OPDs, NGOs, and teacher training colleges.

Specifically, the consultant will be responsible for the following:

• Lead the review process: Facilitate a comprehensive review of the existing Teacher Training Manual on SNIE, ensuring alignment with current inclusive education policies, international best practices, and classroom realities in Rwanda.
• Stakeholder engagement and coordination: Coordinate and engage key stakeholders including REB, MINEDUC, TTCs, UR-CE, development partners, and OPDs through consultation meetings and participatory workshops to gather input and feedback for the manual’s improvement.
• Facilitate thematic workshops: Design and lead thematic workshops to refine the content of the manual, including case studies, inclusive teaching strategies, practical classroom activities, and assessment tools for learners with disabilities and special educational needs.
• Develop a technical guide: Draft a practical, user-friendly technical guide to accompany the revised training manual, aimed at supporting educators and trainers during implementation and capacity-building sessions.
• Content adaptation and quality assurance: Review and adapt content to ensure it is inclusive, rights-based, gender-sensitive, and relevant to the Rwandan educational context. Ensure consistency, clarity, and pedagogical soundness across all modules.
• Drafting and validation: Produce draft versions of the updated manual and technical guide for stakeholder validation. Integrate feedback received from validation sessions to finalize the documents.
• Reporting and documentation: Submit a comprehensive final report detailing the revision process, stakeholder input, changes made, and recommendations for future updates or training needs.
• Presentation and dissemination: Present the final revised manual and technical guide to stakeholders in a dissemination session and provide recommendations for rollout and teacher training.
• Feedback mechanism: Propose and support the establishment of a feedback loop or monitoring mechanism to inform ongoing improvements and updates to the manual based on implementation experience.

3.2. Objectives

General Objective
To review and update the existing teachers Training Manual on Special Needs and Inclusive Education (2018) and avail a technical guide to ensure it aligns with current inclusive education policies, international best practices, and the evolving needs of learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEN) in Rwanda.

3.3. Specific Objectives of the assessment

• Review and analyze the content of the 2018 SNE&IE training manual in light of new national and global standards.
• Integrate practical classroom strategies for inclusive education, especially for early childhood, primary, and secondary levels.
• Make a validated training manual and guide on special needs and inclusive education available.
• Update the content to reflect the latest evidence-based strategies in inclusive teaching, differentiated instruction, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and behavior management.
• Ensure the training manual complies with the most recent national and international inclusive education policies and disability rights legal flameworks including UNCRPD, SDGs, ESSP etc.
• Produce a finalized, teacher friendly, and policy aligned updated training manual with a practical guide.

3.4. Expected results

• A revised, updated, and validated REB Training Manual on Special Needs & Inclusive Education with a practical guide
• Increased stakeholder ownership and alignment with teacher education programs
• Practical tools and inclusive strategies integrated into teacher training
• A stronger foundation for inclusive education practices in Rwanda

3.5. Engaged stakeholders

Effective stakeholder engagement is central to the success of this activity focused on the review and update of the Teacher Training Manual on Special Needs and Inclusive Education, along with the development of its accompanying technical guide. The workshop will bring together a wide range of stakeholders including representatives from government ministries, education institutions, development partners, civil society, each contributing their unique expertise and perspectives. This collaborative approach ensures that the revised manual and technical guide are practical, inclusive, rights-based, and aligned with the diverse realities of classrooms. With clearly defined roles and coordinated efforts, stakeholders will work collectively to enhance the quality of teacher preparation, promote equitable access to education, and strengthen the implementation of inclusive education practices at both national and local levels.

• Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB): Lead institution
• Ministry of Education (MINEDUC): Policy oversight
• University of Rwanda – College of Education (UR-CE): Technical support and academic alignment
• Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs): End user institutions providing input and piloting
• Development Partners: Save the Children and Humanity & Inclusion NGOs working in SN&IE field in Rwanda.
• Organizations of persons with Disabilities/DPOs: Advocacy and inclusive representation
• A consultant will be hired to significantly ensure quality, relevance, and alignment with current best practices, policies, and inclusive education goals.

3.6. Methodology

To respond to the above-mentioned deliverables, the consultant shall propose the methodologies to deliver high quality product. Mainly, the consultant will provide technical guidance during the development workshops. The review and update of this training manual will span approximately 10 days of dedicated workshops focused on content development and validation in Musanze district. Specifically, the updating process will be carried out in the following key stages:

Stage 1: Content review and gap analysis

• Desk review of the 2018 REB SN&IE training manual on special needs and inclusive education
• Comparative analysis with updated national policies and global frameworks (e.g., Universal Design for Learning, CRPD, ESSP 2024-2029 aligned with Rwanda’s NST2 framework)
• Identification of content gaps, outdated practices, and areas for expansion

Stage 2: Technical workshops

• Conduct consultation meetings with key stakeholders, including: REB representatives (particularly from the Special Needs & Inclusive Education unit), Lecturers from UR-CE’s School of Inclusive and Special Needs Education, MINEDUC officials, TTCs’ tutors, Representatives from Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), Development partners (e.g., Save the Children and Humanity & Inclusion)
• Gather feedback on the relevance, usability, and alignment of the content with actual classroom practices.
• Organize thematic workshops with educators, inclusive education experts, curriculum developers, and representatives from NGOs and OPDs.
• Facilitate group work sessions focused on refining content, case studies, practical activities, and assessment tools.
• Develop a technical guide to support teacher training implementation.

Stage 3: Validation and finalization

• National validation workshop to endorse the draft
• Integration of final feedback and design of the updated manual
• Submission to REB and MINEDUC for approval and dissemination

3.7. Ethical consideration

The consultant is expected to conduct the assignment in a professional way, considering that CfC has zero tolerance for any misconduct against the beneficiaries including children with disabilities. Therefore, the consultant should indicate in their application how they will protect the rights of the vulnerable population. This includes CfC policy of not exposing child’s face or any other over exposure.

In conclusion, the proposed review and update of the existing 2018 REB Training Manual on Special Needs and Inclusive Education is a timely and strategic initiative aimed at aligning teacher training resources with evolving national policies, global best practices, and the real-life challenges of Rwandan inclusive education system. By integrating updated pedagogical approaches such as Universal Design for Learning, enhancing content on assistive technologies, early identification, safeguarding, and inclusive assessment, the revised manual will serve as a comprehensive, practical, and policy-aligned tool for teachers. This process guided by extensive stakeholder engagement, technical workshops to develop and validate the content will ensure that the final product (Updated teacher training manual on special needs and inclusive education and the practical guide) is accessible, relevant, and impactful in strengthening inclusive education across Rwanda’s education system.

3.8. Roadmap and Deliverables

The consultant shall work on specific activities and the expected deliverables are indicated by the following table:

4. Budget and application guidelines

A fixed budget has been allocated for this consultancy, inclusive of all related costs, including the 15% withholding tax.

5. Terms of payment

This should be discussed and agreed on during contract signing time. However, 20% of the total cost should be advanced upon signing and the remained should be paid upon completion of the assignment’s deliverables.

6. Key skills and Competence requirements

The consultant responsible for guiding the review process under the RISE Project is expected to possess the following competencies:

• Proven experience in facilitating the review, development, or revision of teacher training manuals, with a specific focus on Special Needs and Inclusive Education (SNIE).
• Strong knowledge of inclusive education principles, special needs education practices, and disability rights in both the Rwandan context and international settings.
• Demonstrated familiarity with national and international policies, frameworks, and commitments related to inclusive education (e.g., UNCRPD, SDG 4, and Rwanda’s Education Sector Strategic Plan).
• Experience engaging diverse stakeholders including government agencies, education institutions, OPDs, and NGOs in participatory and collaborative content development processes.
• Excellent skills in drafting clear, practical, and pedagogically sound training materials and technical guides for educators and trainers.
• Adherence to child safeguarding principles and organizational values, including a commitment to equity, inclusion, and rights-based approaches.
• Ability to deliver high-quality outputs within tight timelines while ensuring professionalism, technical rigor, and contextual relevance.
• Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multi-stakeholder workshops and iterative feedback processes.
• Flexibility and responsiveness to evolving needs, priorities, and inputs during the consultancy.
• Proven ability to foster collaborative team dynamics and facilitate productive workshops or group sessions.
• Experience in reviewing or developing content that integrates practical classroom strategies, case studies, and assessment tools for teacher training.

In conclusion, the proposed review and update of the existing 2018 REB Training Manual on Special Needs and Inclusive Education is a timely and strategic initiative aimed at aligning teacher training resources with evolving national policies, global best practices, and the real-life challenges of Rwandan inclusive education system. By integrating updated pedagogical approaches such as Universal Design for Learning, enhancing content on assistive technologies, early identification, safeguarding, and inclusive assessment, the revised manual will serve as a comprehensive, practical, and policy-aligned tool for teachers. This process guided by extensive stakeholder engagement, technical workshops to develop and validate the content will ensure that the final product (Updated teacher training manual on special needs and inclusive education and the practical guide) is accessible, relevant, and impactful in strengthening inclusive education across Rwanda’s education system.

7. How to Apply:

Interested individual, company or group of suitable candidates are requested to submit their application via the email: apply@chanceforchildhood.org with subject line “Review and update of teacher training manual on special needs and inclusive education (RISE)”, not later than the 18^th August 2025 at 5:00 pm Rwandan time. An eligible application file must be composed by the following documents:

• A motivation letter
• A detailed CV of consultant (s)
• Technical proposal, highlighting the consultant’s experience in similar assignments and how he/she is planning to deliver the assignment’s deliverables;