Call for Proposals for Curriculum Guidelines

OVERVIEW **Parent Sector**: Education Sector (ED) **Duty Station**: remote **Job Family**: Education **Type of contract**: Non Staff **Duration of contract**: From 1 to 6 months **Application Deadline (Midnight Duty Station Time)**: 13-MAY-2025 **UNESCO Core Values**: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism BEFORE APPLYING OVERVIEW OF THE CALL FOR APPLICATION 1. Introduction and background The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development serves as a comprehensive guide for United Nations member states to advance in five crucial dimensions: people, prosperity, planet, partnership, and peace, with quality education (SDG 4) highlighted as a key goal to "ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all." Lifelong learning, central to sustainable education policies, integrates learning and living across all ages and contexts, requiring a trained, active, and committed teaching workforce. Teachers play a crucial role in providing transformative learning experiences that help learners achieve their full potential and develop lifelong learning capabilities, while continuously reflecting on their practices and adapting to evolving societal changes. Against this background, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and Shanghai Normal University (SHNU) have launched a project titled "Teachers as Lifelong Learners: International Research, Policy, and Practice on Lifelong Learning for Teacher Education (2023-2026)." This initiative aims to generate evidence-based insights into policies and practices that promote the development of teachers as lifelong learners and facilitators of lifelong learning. Long Description Phase 1 of the project (2023-2024) focused on conducting a comprehensive literature review and drafting six national case studies (China, Chile, Germany, Qatar, Finland, and South Africa). In addition, two thematic papers on ECCE teachers and adult educators have been drafted. The synthesis report (on teachers as lifelong learners and facilitators of lifelong learning is being developed, based on findings from key documents. The report will provide a comprehensive overview of existing research, policy, and practice, while identifying gaps and strategies to promote lifelong learning of teachers and their role as facilitators of lifelong learning worldwide. Moreover, a webinar series on four core aspects of lifelong learning for teachers will be organised by December 2025 to continue discussing some emerging themes of this research. Long Description Based on the key findings of the research studies, including national cases and thematic papers, and in alignment with the objectives of Phase 2 of the project, key resources— policy recommendations, curriculum guidelines, and a monitoring framework, along with relevant training modules —will be developed. In the context of lifelong learning, curriculum guidelines serve as a roadmap for education institutes and national education departments to plan and design teacher education (pre-service, in-service and continuous professional development) that develop and strengthen lifelong learning competencies and practices. In this context, UIL is inviting relevant research institutes and centres or/and education consultancy agencies to submit technical proposals to develop global curriculum guidelines and a training module for teacher training and education institutes on promoting teachers’ lifelong learning and their role as facilitators of lifelong learning. 2. Scope of work and objectives Under the supervision of the Team Leader (TL) of the Quality Learning Ecosystems programme, UIL, the consultancy institute will: Review key documents of Phase 1 of the project (synthesis report, national case studies, and thematic papers) and identify key content and themes for the curriculum guidelines and gaps that need to be addressed in the curriculum guidelines; Locate, review, and synthesise additional information and resources to enrich the key themes and components of the curriculum guidelines; Draft initial outline of the curriculum guidelines with key objectives and different sections including details and/or processes, the importance of lifelong learning (LLL) for teachers, LLL attributes, skills and competencies for preservice as well as inservice teachers, instructional strategies for promoting teachers’ LLL skills and attributes, and strategies for strengthening their role as facilitators of lifelong learning; Consult with selected relevant stakeholders, experts, and government representatives on the draft guidelines at the Shanghai workshop in June/July 2025, and if needed, organise additional online consultation(s), including through the existing UNESCO platforms, e.g. the International Teacher Taskforce; Prepare the full draft of the curriculum guidelines and present them to the global expert group (including the International Teacher Taskforce) for feedback and validation;