National Consultant to support a New Model of Pedagogical Practicum (Pre-Service Teacher Education)

The consultant will provide dedicated national technical, methodological, and coordination support for finalizing, piloting, and institutionalizing a new model of pedagogical practicum under the pre-service teacher education track of the IsDB/GPE/OFID Project Phase II in Tajikistan. The role involves supporting partner universities in piloting revised programme elements, capacity development, mentoring, monitoring, and normative finalization during the 2026-2027 academic year.

Responsibilities

• Provide national technical, methodological, and coordination support for finalization, piloting, and institutionalization of the new pedagogical practicum model under the pre-service teacher education track of the IsDB/GPE/OFID Project Phase II.
• Support partner universities in piloting revised programme elements with second-year Tajik Language and Mathematics students, including the introductory practicum.
• Provide sustained national support for practicum instruments, capacity development, mentoring, monitoring, and normative finalization.
• Coordinate and facilitate methodological discussions among multi-disciplinary teams including working groups, RTMC/RITTI, pilot universities, base schools, and international consultants.
• Design and deliver training and mentoring for university faculty and school-based methodologists.
• Translate methodological and normative materials into Tajik.
• Ensure delivery of outputs under tight timeframes and to high quality standards.

Requirements

• Masters degree in the fields of education, pedagogy, or teacher education, with focus on pre-service teacher preparation, the organization of pedagogical practicum, methodology of teaching, and continuous professional development related to competency-based education and inclusive education, or another relevant field.
• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in the area of education, pre-service teacher education, organization of pedagogical practicum, teacher training and/or teacher professional development at the policy, management and operational levels with the MoES and affiliated institutions (RTMC, RITTI, Academy of Education) and/or pedagogical universities.
• Demonstrated experience in developing methodological instruments (portfolios, observation tools, training programmes) and in delivering training and mentoring.
• Experience in the current education reform is an asset.
• Strong knowledge and skills in pre-service teacher education and the organization of pedagogical practicum based on competency-based education (CBE).
• Strong knowledge of the IsDB/GPE project, Phase I and Phase II.
• Strong coordination and facilitation skills; analytical and conceptual thinking.
• Ability to work with multi-disciplinary teams and guide methodological discussions.
• Demonstrated ability to design and deliver training and mentoring for university faculty and school-based methodologists.
• Proven experience in translating methodological and normative materials into Tajik.
• Excellent writing, communication, editorial, and presentation skills.
• Ability to deliver under tight timeframes and to the highest quality standards.
• Proficiency in Tajik and Russian is required; knowledge of English (written and spoken) is considered an asset.
• In-depth knowledge of and experience in Phase I and/or Phase II of the IsDB/GPE project to support programmatic and policy reform is highly desirable.
• Experience with the national teacher education context, including pre-service programme requirements, the organization of pedagogical practicum, school–university collaboration, approval processes, and quality assurance mechanisms.
• Strong understanding of the broader education ecosystem, including institutional roles, stakeholder dynamics, and reform priorities.

Skills

• Pre-Service Teacher Training
• Pedagogical Practicum Organization
• Competency-based Learning
• Inclusive Education
• Teacher Professional Development
• Methodological Instrument Development
• Training Delivery
• Mentorship
• Educational Policy Implementation
• Education Reform
• Project Coordination
• Facilitation Skills
• Analytical Thinking
• Conceptual Thinking
• Methodological Discussions
• Translation of Educational Materials
• Writing Skills
• Communications Skills
• Presentation Skills
• Quality Assurance in Education
• School-University Collaboration

Languages

Tajik, Russian, English