Independent Numeracy Curriculum Specialist - Australia Fiji Education Fiji Progr

About this role

Fiji Program Support Platform (FPSP)

• Short Term Personnel (40 working input days)

• Remote – home based with travel to Suva, Fiji

• Open to both National and International Applicants

• Please apply online by submitting a cover letter addressing how you meet the selection criteria of this role and up-to-date comprehensive CV

Program Overview:
The Fiji Program Support Platform (FPSP or the ‘Platform’) is a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) investment that contributes to the delivery of Fiji’s national development priorities, in line with the Australia’s International Development Policy, the Fiji-Australia Vuvale Partnership and the Development Partnership Plan.
The Platform delivers key bilateral programs, such as health, education, scholarships, social infrastructure, governance, climate and emergency preparedness and response. Platform activities identify and address climate risks, promote climate action, and gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) across and beyond the sector programs.
The Platform has three functional Outcomes:

• The Platform has delivered its sector program outcomes, including through supporting strategic coherence, planning, partnerships management, data and learning across the portfolio of investments.

• The Platform has prioritised gender equality, disability-inclusive development, and climate and disaster resilience, in its systems and practices. This includes in how it undertakes sector programming and its engagement with selected Government of Fiji (GoF) agencies.

• The Platform administers timely and efficient programming that is: value for money; maximises use of local supply chains; and supports good governance, and public diplomacy, effective decision making and risk management.

AFEP Overview:
The Australian Government is supporting Fiji’s education sector through the Australia Fiji Education Program (AFEP, the Program) working with the Ministry of Education (MoE).
The objective of the AFEP is “to work with the Government of Fiji under the Vuvale Partnership to catalyse quality education delivery for all Fijian children”.
The changes expected by the end of the five-year program are:

• EOPO 1: Schools, particularly trial schools, have improved student literacy and numeracy outcomes, supported by enabling policies, plans and data from the Ministry of Education.

• EOPO 2: Heads of schools and teachers, supported by enabling policies and data from the Ministry of Education, provide a safe, resilient and inclusive learning environment for all students, particularly in trial schools.

Four intermediate outcomes will provide pathways to meet these end of program outcomes in priority areas, like implementation of the revised literacy and numeracy curriculum in primary and secondary schools, professional development interventions, analysis and improvement of the Fiji Education Management Information System (FEMIS), as well as GEDSI and student wellbeing.
The funding for the program is approximately AUD45 million over 9 years (5 years, with an option to extend for a further 4 years) and delivered through a range of activities to achieve the program’s objectives. Implementation modalities include technical advice, procurement of technical services and goods, minor works and infrastructure upgrades, capacity building and training support, support to Ministry led initiatives and innovations, and grants to civil society organisations (CSOs).
Position Summary:
AFEP is seeking an experienced Numeracy Curriculum Specialist to support an evidence-informed review and critical appraisal of Fiji’s primary numeracy curriculum. The consultant will build targeted TTIs and MoE capability to undertake evidence-informed curriculum review while providing specialist technical advice on primary numeracy curriculum quality and implementation.
The specialist will guide and support selected TTIs to apply an appropriate curriculum review framework (or combination of recognised frameworks) and draw on a broad body of numeracy research to assess how well the curriculum reflects contemporary evidence on early numeracy development, Fiji’s linguistic and cultural context and the realities of classroom implementation. The review is not intended to validate or promote any single instructional model.
The specialist will guide and support selected TTIs to provide options and/or recommendations emerging from the analysis, which will be evidence-based, feasible in Fiji’s context and respectful of existing work and national priorities.
Key Responsibilities:
The specialist will advise, guide and support a selected TTIs curriculum team to carry-out the following:
Task 1: Curriculum Review and Analysis

• Develop an appropriate curriculum review framework, building upon existing recognised review frameworks, to structure the appraisal of Fiji’s primary numeracy curriculum, ensuring methodology is transparent, evidence-informed and suited to Fiji’s context.

• Review the primary numeracy curriculum (Years 1–4), including syllabi, teacher guides, scope and sequence, instructional expectations, pacing and assessment guidance to determine coherence and developmental and contextual appropriateness.

• Analyse how the curriculum sequences and integrates key components of early numeracy development, including number sense, operations, mental maths, mathematical reasoning, problem solving, measurement, geometry, patterns, data and mathematical language and assess whether the progression supports students’ development in ways that are realistic and appropriate for Fiji’s linguistic, cultural and classroom contexts.

• Consider impact of contextual factors including but not limited to class size, language of instruction, teacher foundational knowledge and skill set, resource availability - particularly the availability and diversity of numeracy teaching and learning materials across a developmental progression, including concrete manipulatives, teaching aids and broader…