Individual Consultant for the External Final Review of the MAWHIBA-UNESCO Online STEM Oasis Project

Organisation: UNESCO
Location: Beirut
Deadline: 27 November 2026

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Individual Consultant for the External Final Review of the MAWHIBA-UNESCO Online STEM Oasis Project

JOB DETAILS

Type of contract : Consultant Contract

Level : Level 3 - Senior

Hiring Unit : Sciences Sector (SCS)

Duty Station : Beirut

Work location : Remote

Duration of contract : 1 month

Hiring open to : External candidates

Application deadline (Midnight UTC+3 Time) : 27/11/2026

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

BACKGROUND

The MAWHIBA–UNESCO Online STEM Oasis project is a joint initiative of Mawhiba and the UNESCO Regional Office in Beirut, with a total project budget of USD 250,000. The project seeks to strengthen extracurricular learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) for students in grades 7 to 12 in the Arab region, with particular attention to girls’ participation. Its first phase targets Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic.

The project combines digital learning resources with stakeholder engagement to support STEM learning beyond the classroom. Its planned components include an online portal featuring short STEM videos and quizzes, outreach materials, stakeholder networks and national consultations in the four participating countries. Through these complementary components, the initiative aims to expand opportunities for students to engage with STEM content and to support dialogue among relevant stakeholders on its use and further development. Gender equality, accessibility and inclusion are important considerations across the project’s activities. Gender equality, accessibility and inclusion are important considerations across the project’s activities.

Planned Results and Implementation Status

The project’s planned outputs and reported delivery as of 30 September 2026 are summarized below. The table identifies the corresponding indicators and supporting monitoring evidence to inform the final review.

Project component

What was planned

Current status

Videos and quizzes

Produce 350 STEM videos with accompanying quizzes

All 350 videos are produced and uploaded, with quizzes for each video.

LMS portal

Create an online learning portal to host videos and quizzes

The portal is online and open for registration. Testing is planned during the consultations, followed by the official launch in December 2026 or January 2027.

National consultations

Hold four consultations in Jordan, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon

Jordan is confirmed for 2-3 November 2026. Responses from Lebanon, Iraq and Syria are pending.

Outreach and visibility

Promote the portal and its learning resources

No outreach activities have been implemented yet. Visibility activities are planned during the consultations and around the official launch in December 2026 or January 2027.

Coordination with national partners

Engage National Commissions and Ministries of Education to prepare the national consultations

Preparatory meetings have been held with National Commissions and Ministries of Education to coordinate the consultations.

Long Description

The initiative brings together UNESCO’s education and science areas of work through its focus on STEM learning and digital educational resources. UNESCO’s Regional Office in Beirut and Mawhiba are the principal institutional partners, while students in grades 7 to 12 constitute the intended beneficiary group. Stakeholders engaged through the project’s networks and national consultations provide perspectives on country needs, implementation experience and prospects for the continued use of project resources.

In connection with project completion, UNESCO intends to commission a final review by an external consultant. The review will provide a focused, evidence-based assessment of implementation and available results, distinguishing completed outputs and demonstrated achievements from planned activities and anticipated benefits. It will draw on available project documentation, financial and implementation records, platform information, selected learning materials and stakeholder consultations.

The final review is designed as an assessment proportionate to the project’s scale and available resources. It will document achievements, implementation challenges and lessons learned, and provide practical recommendations to UNESCO, Mawhiba and relevant partners to inform project closure, the sustainability of project outputs and possible future programming.

PURPOSE AND USE

In connection with the completion of the MAWHIBA–UNESCO Online STEM Oasis project, UNESCO is commissioning a final review by an external consultant to take stock of implementation, assess available results and identify lessons for future programming. Following consultation with UNESCO’s IOS Evaluation Office, a final review has been identified as an appropriate assessment modality given the project’s scale, its USD 250,000 budget and the time and resources available for this exercise.

The purpose of the review is to support accountability, learning and informed decision-making by examining what the project delivered against its agreed objectives and planned outputs across Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic. It will consider the relevance and usefulness of the project’s digital learning resources and stakeholder engagement activities, implementation challenges and prospects for the continued use of project outputs, with attention to girls’ participation, accessibility and inclusion. Findings will be grounded in available evidence and will distinguish verified achievements from anticipated benefits and results that cannot yet be established.

The primary intended users are the UNESCO Regional Office in Beirut and Mawhiba. They are expected to use the findings and recommendations to inform project completion reporting, identify priorities for maintaining and using the online portal and learning materials, and guide decisions on possible follow-up support or future phases. Relevant national stakeholders and partners in the four participating countries may also use the findings to strengthen engagement with the project’s resources and inform future extracurricular STEM learning initiatives.

The review will produce practical, prioritized recommendations proportionate to the evidence available, with clear identification of the stakeholders best placed to take them forward.

OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE

The final review will assess project implementation and available results, identify lessons learned and provide practical recommendations for project closure, the continued use of project outputs and possible future programming. It will draw selectively on the OECD-DAC criteria of relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability, applying them proportionately to the project’s scale and the resources available for the review.

The specific objectives and guiding review questions are:

Long Description

Relevance

Assess how the project responds to the needs of its intended beneficiaries in the participating countries.

• To what extent did the project’s design and activities address extracurricular STEM learning needs, particularly those of girls and learners facing barriers to access and participation?

Coherence

Examine the project’s complementarity with relevant national and partner initiatives.

• To what extent was the project aligned with relevant national STEM education priorities and complementary to other digital and extracurricular learning initiatives, including efforts to promote gender equality and inclusive access?

Effectiveness

Examine delivery against the project’s agreed objectives and planned outputs and identify available evidence of early results.

• What outputs and early results were achieved, whom did they reach, and what factors—including UNESCO’s and partners’ contributions—supported or constrained achievement and equitable participation?

Efficiency

Review the use of financial and human resources, implementation arrangements and delivery timelines.

• To what extent did resource allocation, management and partner coordination support timely delivery of accessible and inclusive project outputs, and what practical improvements can be identified?

Sustainability

Assess the prospects for the continued availability and use of project resources.

• What ownership, capacities, resources and follow-up arrangements are in place or needed to sustain the portal, learning materials and stakeholder engagement, including continued access for girls and underserved learners?

Long Description

The final review will cover the following:

• Time period: The full project implementation period, from the approved start date to the agreed evidence cut-off date, including any approved extensions. The exact dates will be confirmed by UNESCO during inception. The review will incorporate the outputs of the four national consultations.