Partnership Background

Transcription

1 REQUEST FOR LETTERS OF INTEREST Date Issued: July 29, 2015 Estimated Award Amount: 750,000 USD Expected Start Date: Quarter 1 (October-December) FY 2016 Period of Performance: Two Years FHI 360, in cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development Mission in Afghanistan, is issuing a Request for Letters of Interest for a Kandahar University Faculty of medicine Master of Public Health Degree Partnership. FHI 360 FHI 360 is a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. Our staff includes experts in health, education, nutrition, environment, economic development, civil society, gender, youth, research and technology creating a unique mix of capabilities to address today's interrelated development challenges. FHI 360 serves more than 70 countries and all U.S. states and territories. University Support and Workforce Development The USAID-funded Afghanistan University Support and Workforce Development Program (USWDP) is designed to help Afghanistan s higher education professionals effectively manage the growth of tertiary education while improving academic quality. Building on the successes of the Afghanistan Higher Education Project and other initiatives, the USWDP project will improve the management capacity of the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) and up to 11 public universities to ensure quality education and employment for a larger number of Afghan men and women. USWDP will also assist in developing learning environments that foster well-qualified and professional faculty members, highly capable and motivated students, diverse and market-oriented academic programs, sustainable public-private collaboration, international university partnerships, and other innovations that move Afghanistan toward the higher education system it deserves. Request for Letters of Interest: Kandahar University and Faculty of Medicine Partnership USWDP, in close collaboration with Kandahar University (KDRU), seeks to hire an innovative and reputable U.S. Partner University (PU) to establish a university partnership with Faculty of Medicine. The overall objective of the partnership is to assist KDRU in curriculum development and faculty development for a new Master of Public Health (MPH) program at KDRU. Partnership Background 1

2 Higher Education in Afghanistan In the National Higher Education Strategic Plan (NHESP ), the MoHE envisions a high quality public and private higher education system that responds to Afghanistan s growth and development needs, improves public well-being, respects traditions, and incorporates wellmanaged and internationally recognized modern scientific knowledge. As MoHE s mission statement states, the Ministry aims to establish innovative institutions that provide high quality teaching, research, and service; produce graduates who are competitive in a global economy, contribute to economic growth, social development, nation building, and the stability of the country (NHESP, November, 2009). Contributing to MoHE s strategic plan priorities, USWDP aims at increasing the skills and employability of technically qualified and professionally capable Afghan women and men in the private and public sectors, as well as improving the management capacity of the MoHE and up to 11 public universities to ensure quality education and employment for a larger number of Afghan men and women. USWDP will also assist in developing learning environments that foster wellqualified and professional faculty members, highly capable and motivated students, diverse and market-oriented academic programs, sustainable public-private collaboration, international university partnerships, and other innovations that move Afghanistan toward the higher education system it deserves. USWDP s Graduate Education Programs The Master s Degree Stream of USWDP is responsible for identifying and devising degree program support activities that will strengthen existing curricula and develop new graduate level academic programs in line with workforce skills. This stream will provide the technical expertise and capacity development support that universities need in order to prioritize and refine existing academic programs, and to assist universities with creating new academic programs. Partnership Results Framework FHI 360 will use a results-based management approach to monitor partnership progress and to ensure sustainable results. The PU will be required to design proposed frameworks using outcomes, outputs, and activities below as part of the final selection process. The PU must identify methods to leverage additional funding and relationships to increase the sustainability of the program. Goal: Improve academic quality of the Kandahar University Faculty of Medicine to ensure quality education and employment for a larger number of Afghan men and women Objective 1: Develop new curriculum and develop quality teaching and learning materials relevant to the market-oriented knowledge and employability. Activity 1.1: PU will assist the Faculty of Medicine to develop and revise policy documents related to the MPH program in a consultative manner involving all key stakeholders. The PU should model and provide criteria for the stakeholders regarding the process of making a relevant and high-quality policy document. The policy document must clearly outline the quality and relevance of the MPH program in relation to research-based knowledge, promote linkages with private and public sector stakeholders, and ensure that the components of the entire program use applied teaching and learning approaches. 2

3 Activity 1.2: PU will provide technical support to the Faculty of Medicine in MPH curriculum development. This support should include training faculty in the curriculum development process, quality monitoring and supervision of curriculum implementation, and appropriate methods of creating learning and teaching environments for the effective implementation of the curriculum. Activity 1.3: PU will assist and train the Faculty of Medicine in the development of teaching and learning materials, such as syllabi and course readers. Objective 2: Develop the skills of Kandahar University Faculty of Medicine in quality teaching. Activity 2.1: PU will assist the Faculty of Medicine in the professional development of relevant faculty to teach quality courses in the MPH program. This faculty development should include a variety of strategies such as on-job training as well as training opportunities at the PU. Activity 2.2: PU will assist KDRU in the development of an evaluation system for lecturers that strengthen the knowledge, skills, dispositions, and classroom practices of MPH lectures at KDRU. Evaluations need to include self, student, internal and external evaluation mechanisms. Activity 2.3: PU will provide in-house training for Faculty of Medicine staff to improve the skills of existing faculty related to teaching MPH courses. Activity 2.4: PU will create linkages with an international accreditation body and will facilitate compliance with international accreditations standards for the MPH program. Activity 2.5: PU will establish mechanisms that develop the capacities of Faculty of Medicine faculty to conduct and publish their own research. Objective 3: Develop the skills of Master Board Committee members in quality monitoring, supervision and inplementation of MPH revised curriculum. Activity 3.1: PU will assist KDRU in the development of a formative and summative learning assessment system that ensures quality of learning during the implementation of the MPH programs. This system should be institutionalized at KDRU. Activity 3.2: PU, in consultation with KDRU, will assist in strengthening the policies and practices of student selection and admission for the MPH program. Note on Activities: The PU will be required to provide an effective combination of methods to support the objectives of the activities listed above. The PU will be able to employ a combination of methods including, but not limited to: U.S.-based pedagogical training for professors, staff, and students; U.S.-based classroom observation for professors, staff, and students; U.S.-based team teaching for professors and staff, U.S.-based internships for Afghan students; Afghan-based pedagogical training for professors and staff; Afghan-based classroom observation for professors and staff; Afghan-based team teaching activities for professors and staff; Afghan-based internships for Afghan students; faculty exchanges; advanced degrees scholarships for key faculty/students through U.S.-based scholarships; blended learning, and/or online offerings for Afghan faculty and staff; certificate programs for key faculty and students through U.S.-based scholarships, blended learning, and/or online offerings; short term technical and leadership exchanges for key faculty/students; one to one faculty partnerships for course development, team-teaching, virtual 3

4 classroom exchanges, joint publication, one-on-one mentorships; resource development; and establishment of virtual platforms for teaching, exchange, resource sharing, and professional development. Regardless of the combinations of activities and methods proposed, the PU will be required to provide significant face to face activities and interactions with the Faculty of Medicine in Kandahar. Partnership Approach: Submissions should briefly outline how they will collaborate with Kandahar University Faculty of Medicine to achieve the goal, objectives, and outcomes of the program. Submissions should demonstrate capacity for including innovative solutions in implementing the partnership, including use of virtual technology when effective to support positive outcomes. Potential partners are encouraged to apply their experience and knowledge to propose additional outputs and activities that would strengthen the overarching goal of the program. Letters of interest should demonstrate mastery of good practices in higher education development, an understanding of the Afghan higher education context, and knowledge of effective strategies for integrating workforce development initiatives into programming. Other criteria that should be addressed in the letter of interest include: A. Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Activities developed under USWDP are guided by the USAID Operational Principle in the USAID Policy Framework. Under this principle, USWDP partnerships: explicitly and deliberately seek to eliminate gaps between the status of males and females; make sure that the different roles, responsibilities, and expertise of women and men are reflected in project design, implementation, and evaluation; ensure that women and men are full and equal partners in consultation, planning, program and project design, and implementation and evaluation; and leverage the expertise and leadership skills of women and girls B. Private Sector Collaboration Those submitting letters of interest are encouraged to propose creative approaches that leverage support from private sector organizations to partnership activities. Illustrative examples of such an approach include sponsored internships opportunities, virtual exchanges and collaborations, and funding scholarships for faculty and students. These private sector opportunities could take place in Afghan, regional, or U.S. contexts. C. Sustainability Applications also should include a plan for sustainability that identifies strategies for and activities to support the partnership goal and objectives beyond the period of performance. Sustainability features should include some continued contact and professional relationships between partnership university faculty in addition to potential public and/or private sector initiatives or other activities that extend beyond the period of performance. D. Technology Those submitting letters of interest are strongly encouraged to incorporate the use of technological innovations to increase the efficiency, effectiveness, cost-competitiveness, and safety of their 4

5 partnership design. Grantees will work closely with FHI 360 s in-house TechLab during contract development to incorporate existing FHI 360 best practices and grantees. E. Risk Management and Mitigation The proposed partnership approach should identify factors that will help or hinder partnership implementation and briefly describe measures to mitigate these factors when appropriate. Security Considerations Applicant will need to demonstrate an understanding of the Afghan security context and outline a measured preparedness to work with Kandahar University, and possibly the MOHE, through significant face-to-face interactions. The USWDP coordinates directly with FHI 360 s home office security team as well as a security management company in Kandahar. The USWDP will closely collaborate with the selected PU, providing recommendations, guidance, and information sharing throughout the partnership s implementation. There is a possibility that the selected partner s staff could make use of USWDP housing facilities during implementation; however, the PU will be required to develop a proposal and budget that includes independent housing, security, and life support, demonstrating the ability to function autonomously in Kandahar. For budgeting purposes, the following figures may be used as a guidline for lodging and secure transport costs in Kandahar: Secure lodging in Kandahar: $80 /night Transport (Daily rental of B6 vehicle): $100 /day Institutional Commitment, Management & Key Personnel Full proposals will need a partnership management and operations strategy that commits institutional resources, fulfills financial and programmatic compliance requirements, and provides key personnel whose technical skills are essential to the successful completions of the goal and objectives of the project. Letters of interest should list key personnel, clearly define roles and responsibilities of all personnel, and identify other institutional resources that will be devoted to the project. Cost Share The selected PU will be required to include a cost-competitive budget and budget narrative that reflects and describes the proposed partnership approach. Applicants are encouraged to focus resources on benefiting the Kandahar University Faculty of Medicine. The budget to be proposed for the partnership will be considered illustrative, as it may change based on the development of the actual sub-award with any modifications made to the approach or implementation plan. The minimum expected total cost share is 10 percent of the award amount although higher percentage cost share is encouraged. Reported cost share must be auditable. Non-auditable cost share items may not be used to meet the minimum, but can be indicated separately and will be viewed favorably by the evaluation panel. (See 2 CFR ). In-kind contributions may include, but are not limited to: waivers of tuition and fees for students participating in in-person or virtual academic exchanges; donations of library and classroom materials; Information Communication Technology infrastructure and Internet Service Provider subscription subsidy for the Afghan partner and exchange students; faculty salaries; travel and/or 5

6 per diem for Afghan faculty and administrators to participant in professional exchange and development programs; and indirect cost. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS The attached Letter of Interest Template should be completed and submitted to: by 11:59 PM on August 12, Questions should be submitted to by August 3 and will be posted to the FHI 360 website by August 5, Review and Selection Criteria Evaluation factors are a total of 100 points, apportioned as noted in the following: Quality of partnership approach and demonstrated ability to achieve objectives (30 Points) Institutional Track Record/Ability, including demonstrated experience independently managing projects in high-visibility and high-pressure environments, which may include non-permissive crisis or conflict zones. (30 Points) Expertise of Key Personnel (20 Points) Cost-Competitive Budget (20 Points) AWARD MECHANISM & TERMS OF PAYMENT FHI 360 anticipates issuing a standard cost reimbursable grant. 6