Federal Government of Somalia
Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education
Terms of Reference for Consultancy for Mid-Term Review of Somalia’s Partnership Compact
General Information
Title: Consultancy for Mid-Term Review of Somalia’s Partnership Compact 2023 -2026
Reporting to: Permanent Secretary (MOECHE) and Chief of Party (CARE)
Duration: November 15th, 2025 – 14thFebruary 2026
Project: System Capacity Grant – Funded by GPE
Type: Individual consultant
Location: Mogadishu
Introduction
The Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education (MOECHE) of the Federal Government of Somalia, with support from education development partners and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), is implementing the Somalia Partnership Compact (2023–2026). The Compact serves as a framework for joint accountability and coordinated action to strengthen education service delivery, system performance, and sector reform. It operationalizes Somalia’s systems transformation approach and aligns investments with national priorities under the Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP 2022–2026).
The Mid Term Review (MTR) of the Partnership Compact provides a structured opportunity to reflect on progress made since the endorsement of the Compact, review achievements against reform priorities and enabling factors, and identify gaps and lessons to inform continued implementation. It will draw extensively on evidence from the 2025 Joint Review of the Education Sector (JRES), which provides annual performance data and sector analysis, ensuring coherence between ongoing monitoring processes and the overall Compact review cycle. In addition, the MTR will consider if and to what extent contextual shifts are influencing the implementation of the Compact’s planned activities leading to the priority reform and the opportunities and bottlenecks posed by contextual changes.
Program Summary
The Somalia Partnership Compact 2023 – 2026, was developed through an interactive and inclusive consultation process led by the MOECHE and conducted across the federal member states. The process incorporated input received from federal and state-level education officials, development partners, and disability-focused organizations participating in Technical Working Groups (TWGs) convened by the Education Sector Committee (ESC); and consultations with representatives of school communities (teachers, Community Education Committee (CEC) members, students). The Compact was endorsed on March 30, 2023, by the ESC as well as the Education Donor Group, reflecting a consensus on the priorities identified in the document. As a result, the Compact reflected the needs and priorities of the Somalia education sector. The Compact articulated how Somalia intends to work with its partners around a priority reform that has the potential of catalysing system change. The priority reform identified through inclusive sector dialogue was “To enhance equitable access to quality education and inclusive education in rural and urban areas by addressing supply and demand barriers’’. There was consensus by all education stakeholders around this priority reform, which was endorsed through the ESC in March2023. In addition, the Partnership Compact galvanized efforts towards increased investment in addressing critical barriers to the achievement of the ESSP 2022 – 2026 strategic goals and strengthening state systems to deliver on those. Overall, the development of the Compact improved the alignment of the educator partners in support of the priority reform as well as shifted Somalia partners policy dialogue towards catalysing system transformation. The development of the Partnership Compact was a foundational activity to unlock Somalia’s access to additional GPE funding and foster partner coordination towards the achievement of key ESSP outcomes. The Compact has guided the development of the program documents for the GPE funded grants to foster system transformation in Somalia, including the System Transformation Grant (STG), Girls’ Education Accelerator (GEA), and a second tranche of the System Capacity Grant (SCG).
Since its endorsement, progress has been in several areas, however the Enabling Factor Analysis undertaken in 2023 showed that the Ministries of Education at both levels of government have a significant skills gap in terms of policy planning, budgeting, particularly gender-responsive budgeting, and developing and strengthening accountability mechanisms at all levels. Strong fiduciary mechanisms must be in place to ensure that the increased allocation of domestic resources to education services will be used transparently and efficiently.
Objectives and Purpose of the Consultancy
The purpose of the consultancy is to conduct a midterm review for the Somali Partnership Compact 2023 – 2026 to review progress on priority reform and inform the focus areas for support by GPE grants during the next funding period. The Permanent Secretary at MOECHE and the Chief of Party of CARE will jointly supervise and monitor the consultant’s performance and deliverables. The consultant will closely work with the national committee and taskforce team, GPE global consultant, as well as the JRES consultant.
Specific objectives
The specific objectives of this assignment are as follows:
· Review the Somali Partnership Compact progress on priority reform
o Progress in the implementation of priority actions to date (including progress on GPE grants implementation, grant agents’ performance, and contributions from other development partners).
o Recommended actions for performance improvement.
o If and to what extent the results achieved through the Compact’s priority actions confirm its Theory of Change, and proposed adaptations for revision of the Theory of Change, based on evidence.
o If and to what extent the priority reform is contributing to increased gender equality and disability inclusion in education outcomes.
· Partners’ support to Compact and sector coordination for its implementation. Evaluate the coherence of partner programs with the Compact framework and alignment to ESSP 2022–2026 objectives.
· Inform focus areas for GPE grant support during the next funding period.
· Examine the status of education financing, including the Education Financing Framework, domestic contributions, and partner grants.
To achieve these objectives, the Consultant will:
· Support the MOECHE Task Force Team in understanding the requirements for Partnership Compact Mid-Term Review within the overall process of preparation for midterm review.
· Conduct participatory consultations with MOECHE and ESC
· Support the technical committee and task force team to organize group consultations and state level consultations.
· Draft and support finalization of the Partnership Compact Mid-Term Review and ensure feedback from MOECHE Teams, ESC, EDG and other key stakeholders is included. This includes:
o Identifying lessons learned, risks, and opportunities to strengthen joint accountability and the partnership structure.
o Providing recommendations to improve coordination, resource allocation, and reform implementation during the remaining period of the Compact.
· Develop complementary documentation, including factsheets on key progress on priorities and financial requirements in the form of investment case for supporting education targets.
Scope of work
The MTR will focus on Compact reform priorities and enabling factors as outlined in GPE guidance. The review will assess:
a) Reform priorities – access, learning outcomes, inclusion, governance, and education financing.
b) Enabling factors – policy and planning, institutional capacity, financing and monitoring, and data use.
c) Cross-cutting considerations – gender equality, inclusion, technology, climate resilience, and aid coordination.
Location: Mogadishu with visits to other federal states where the security situation permits.
Methodology
The review will follow a participatory and evidence-based approach consistent with the GPE MTR framework and informed by best practices observed in other countries. The process will consist of three main phases:
Phase 1: Preparation and Desk Review – reviewing key documents and producing an inception report.
Phase 2: Data Collection and Analysis – stakeholder interviews, partner mapping, and reform tracking through the triangulation of primary and secondary data analysis.
Phase 3: Synthesis, Validation, and Reporting – national validation workshop, preparation of final report, fact sheets, and a slide deck for presentation of findings.
Deliverables
· Inception report with methodology and workplan
· Reform tracking and partner mapping matrix
· Draft Partnership Compact Mid-Term Review report
· Final Partnership Compact Mid-Term Review report. The final report should Inform GPE Board decision on next allocation: MTR Progress Memo including:
o Summary of progress on priority reform supported by government, partners, and GPE grants; progress on actions to address enabling factors (including any top-ups).
o Identification of persistent bottlenecks or new challenges.
o Summary of proposed changes/ adaptations to improve delivery (including implications for ongoing GPE grants)
o New top-up triggers
o Refined forward-looking theory of change
o Intermediate actions that the local education group will monitor to be updated and tracked annually
· Slide deck for presentation of findings (validation workshop)
· Fact sheets with a summary of findings and recommendations
Principles
The principles of this assignment are as follows:
· Inclusive, participatory, and evidence-based
· Aligned with country systems processes
· Grounded in country needs and informed by contextual analysis
Responsibilities
The responsibilities of each of the key stakeholders involved in this assignment is as follows:
· MOECHE – Provide any information or support required to the Consultant that would help in completing the MTR of the compact successfully and review the draft document to ensure alignment with the existing and future priorities.
· CARE Somalia – Management of contract, monitoring and technical quality assurance.
· Consultant – Guide the deliverables, development process and take responsibility for producing the desired deliverables of the MTR in a timely manner.
· Coordinating Agency (EU) and the ESC – Work with MOECHE to review and approve the final MTR report of the Partnership Compact.
Timeline and Key Milestones
The MTR will be conducted between December 2025 and February 2026.
Phase 1: Inception and desk review (December 2025)
Phase 2: Data collection, interviews, and analysis (December–January 2026)
Phase 3: Validation workshop and final reporting (February 2026)
Qualifications
The required qualifications for this assignment include:
· Advanced university degree in the fields of education, Public Policy and planning, economics, international development or any related fields.
· Certification of GPE/IIEP-UNESCO Training on fundamentals of independent appraisal of Education Sector Plans is an added advantage.
· Minimum of eight years of work experience in a relevant field. This includes experience in sector analysis, system strengthening evaluations, and development of policy level documents, including but not limited to those related to financial analysis and costing.
· Strong technical knowledge of education, with specific focus on policy work, financial analysis and costing.
· Strong analytical and conceptual thinking.
· Excellent writing skills in English.
· Strong communication, and presentation skills with stakeholders.
· Ability to work under pressure and commitment with a tight timeframe.
· Demonstrated ability to work effectively with Ministries of Education and other education stakeholders.
· Experience in the Somali education system is considered as an added advantage.
· Proven expertise in conducting Mid Term Reviews, Education Sector Analyses, or Compact/system transformation reviews within the GPE framework is an added advantage
Language
· Fluency in English and Somali
How to apply
All applications MUST be accompanied by a technical and financial proposal. Interested consultants or firms are expected to submit their applications, updated CVs of technical team to conduct the consultancy and profile (in the case of a consultancy firm) SOM.Consultant@care.org. Please indicate “Consultancy for Mid-Term Review of Somalia’s Partnership Compact’’ as the subject heading not later November 18, 2025. Female applicants with requisite Somalia experience are highly encouraged.
Hamar Weyne District,Banaadir,Somalia
