AGA KHAN FOUNDATION (INDIA)
POSITION DESCRIPTION
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Position Name:
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Consultant - State-Level Integration and Scale-Up of BEQI[1] and VITAL [2]Assessment Tools through SCERT, DIET, and ICDS Department
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Position Location
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Patna, Bihar (with extensive field travel across districts)
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Consultancy Tenure
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Up to 31st December 2026
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Expected Workload
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24 days per month (Monday to Saturday)
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About the organization
The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is a leading global development organization working to tackle the root causes of poverty. For almost 50 years, AKF has helped create strong community institutions that support sustainable, locally driven initiatives to improve the lives of millions of people. AKF's programmes aim to ensure that infants have the best possible start in life, families are healthy and well nourished, children and young people can access quality learning opportunities and grow to fulfil their potential, and adults can develop future-facing skills so they can gain employment or start their own businesses. We believe that women and young girls should not be limited in their choices or opportunities and are dedicated to fostering inclusive communities in which all voices are heard and valued. As our climate changes, we are working with the communities we serve, and especially farmers, to adapt to its challenges and opportunities and contribute to a healthy planet. But the issues we face are evolving rapidly. To meet them, we use innovation to empower communities to develop new solutions that can be quickly tested and refined, ensuring they are relevant, feasible and sustainable. Through partnerships with local communities, government agencies and programmes, we are building a future where we all thrive together.
AKF primarily works across seven thematic areas - agriculture, building community resilience to climate change, work and enterprise, education, early childhood development, WASH, health and nutrition, and strengthening community institutions to sustain and lead development interventions.
AKF started its operations in India in 1978 and implements programmes in both rural and urban areas across four states (Bihar, Delhi, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh). AKF's current interventions are under implementation across 1635 villages and 93 urban wards, benefiting 3.9 million people, 2/3rd of whom are women.
About the Project
Schools2030 is a global initiative advancing holistic learning and teacher-led innovation across ten countries and more than 1,000 schools. Since its inception in 2021, Schools2030 has supported over 21,000 teachers in gaining skills in human-centred design and holistic learning assessment, and in using these skills to design and test new classroom practices and innovations to improve student learning. Through partnership with educators, school leaders, researchers, governments, civil society
organisations, and development partners, the initiative aims to strengthen the quality of teaching and learning while fostering equitable, inclusive, and resilient education systems.
As part of Schools2030, since 2021, AKF has been implementing the programme in five districts in Bihar (Patna, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, Saran and Bhojpur), aligned with the vision of NEP 2020. In the 2025-26 academic year, AKF has worked with 216 Teachers and Head Teachers in these districts, supporting over 7000 students to develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values they need to thrive; and to design and test new classroom practices and innovations to improve student learning.
Through partnership with educators, school leaders, researchers, governments, and development partners, the initiative aims to strengthen the quality of teaching and learning while fostering equitable, inclusive, and resilient education systems. At its core, Schools2030 champions teacher agency, recognising teachers as leaders and innovators who are best placed to respond to the needs of their learners and communities. By equipping educators with opportunities to design, test, and scale locally relevant and scalable solutions, the initiative supports sustainable education improvement from the classroom to the system level. A key partner in the programme is the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), that has been established to provide academic leadership and acts as the hub of academic research, innovation, inspiration and motivation within the State. Established as a symbol of quality and providing philosophical and sociological insights into education for the transformation of society, it is responsible for designing the curriculum, developing textbooks, supervising DIETs and teacher training. The SCERT is a lead academic institution at the state level, providing support to DIETs, CTEs and is engaged in educational research and training. It is functioning along the lines of NCERT at the state level, providing advice to the state government on policy issues, support to implementation and appraisal of programmes and undertaking activities for quality improvement in school education and teacher education. The vision of SCERT Bihar is to deliver dynamic, interactive, and participatory action-based interventions for School Education, ranging from planning, research, and goal setting to implementation and evaluation, and support innovation, improvement, and change, as well as in facilitating teamwork of empowered individuals.
Context
AKF (India) seeks to engage a dynamic and experienced Consultant to support the goal of the Schools2030 program, and specifically to improve quality teaching in Patna and Saran districts by scaling Schools2030 tools and approaches on human-centred design, teacher-led innovation, and holistic learning assessment within the teacher professional development system.
The Consultant will report to the National Coordinator, Schools2030 program and will work closely with the Schools2030 Program Coordinator, SCERT faculty, DIET representatives, and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Department to strengthen institutional capacities and facilitate the translation of policy into practice.
This fast-paced assignment offers a significant opportunity to develop advocacy notes, policy briefs, technical documents, and research-informed recommendations that merge bottom-up teacher innovations with top-down systemic policies.
Objectives & Scope of Work
The primary objective of the consultant is to support the Schools2030 and the wider AKF Education programme in achieving the strategic goal of institutionalising and scaling the BEQI and VITAL assessment frameworks within state-level education systems.
The Consultant will be responsible for the following core areas:
Technical Support & System Integration
- Lead the development of implementation roadmaps, operational guidelines, and technical frameworks to align BEQI and VITAL with existing state priorities, monitoring systems, and National Curriculum Framework (NCF) standards.
- Support SCERT, DIET, and ICDS in piloting the Schools2030 BEQI and VITAL assessment tools and integrating evidence-based assessment practices within state systems.
- Support the scaling up of HCD approaches as a package for DIETs and SCERT to be integrated in Pre-service Teachers' Education (PSTE) and in the in-service training package.
Capacity Building & Stakeholder Coordination
- Coordinate and co-create contextually relevant training strategies with AKF, SCERT faculty, DIET representatives, and ICDS officials.
- Design and deliver capacity-building programmes for faculty members, teacher educators, teachers, supervisors, and frontline functionaries on using assessment data for quality improvement.
- Facilitate virtual and face-to-face consultations, technical working groups, workshops, and review sessions to build consensus among state stakeholders.
Field Monitoring, Data & Innovation
Conduct regular field visits to selected districts, DIETs, BEPC, schools, Anganwadis and ICDS departments to implement and provide on-site technical support.
Coordinate data collection, analysis, and validation to ensure the quality and reliability of assessment findings. Integrate these findings into state-level dashboards and review mechanisms.
Documentation & Knowledge
Provide technical and writing support for the development of strategic reports, quarterly progress reports, policy briefs, knowledge products, and other programme documentation.
Contribute to the dissemination of evidence through state-level consultations and publications to ensure long-term sustainability and government adoption.
Key Deliverables
The Consultant will be expected to deliver the following outputs within the 6-month timeframe:
- Prepare a detailed work plan outlining activities and timelines
- Coordinate and liaise with Schools2030 team, SCERT, ICDS, BEPC and DIETs to support the implementation and scale-up of the BEQI and VITAL Assessment Tools.
- Organise and facilitate meetings, consultations, workshops, and review sessions with government stakeholders and prepare meeting notes and action points.
- Conduct regular field visits to SCERT, ICDS, BEPC offices, DIETs, and other relevant institutions and document key observations, challenges, and recommendations.
- Develop draft guidelines and implementation roadmaps, in consultation with the Global Schools2030 Manager, National Coordinator and Programme Coordinators, to support the integration of the BEQI and VITAL assessment tools within SCERT and ICDS systems.
- Prepare training materials, workshop toolkits, and capacity-building modules for government stakeholders.
- Submit field visit reports, progress reports, policy briefs, strategic reports, and other documentation as required.
- Prepare a final report summarising key achievements, findings, challenges, and recommendations for future scale-up.
Desired Qualifications and Experience
- Master's degree in social work (MSW), education, development studies, social sciences, or a related field. A PhD in a relevant discipline is highly preferred.
- Minimum of 5-6 years of professional experience working within the education sector alongside government departments, specifically with SCERT, DIETs, and ICDS.
- Demonstrated expertise in policy development, institutional strengthening, early childhood education assessments, student learning assessments, and research documentation.
- Exceptional coordination, networking, facilitation, and liaison-building skills with high-level government officials. Strong analytical mindset with proven report-writing and presentation capabilities.
- Willingness and ability to travel extensively across various districts of Bihar.
Institutional Support from AKF
The Aga Khan Foundation will provide the following support to the selected consultant:
- Provide day-to-day operational support from the AKF Patna office.
- Access to relevant project data, including Schools2030 global materials, HCD toolkits, and ongoing assessment data.
- Field logistics and travel support for official outstation project visits, subject to prior approval.
How To apply
Please apply by 10th July 2026 using the link below –
The Aga Khan Development Network is an international group of private, non-denominational development agencies and institutions that seek to empower communities and individuals, often in disadvantaged circumstances, to improve living conditions and opportunities. Visit us at www.akf.org.
The Aga Khan Foundation is committed to the principles of equal opportunity and will strive to ensure that all job applicants, staff and volunteers, do not suffer negative discrimination on the basis of their religion, race, caste, color, nationality, social class, sex, place of birth, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, HIV status, age etc. or any combination of these.
All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks. AKF also participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. You can find out more about this scheme on this link: https://misconduct-disclosure-scheme.org
[1] Brief Early Childhood Quality Inventory (BEQI) is a learning Environment tool used at pre-primary level and includes both self-reflection and classroom observation so to enhance inclusive, childcentered, and sustainable learning environments in ECCE centers.
[2] Valuing Inclusive Teaching and Learning (VITAL) is a Learning Environment tool used at elementary and secondary level of schooling with focus to improve the teacher professional development and learning environment at the classroom level