Consultancy Needed - KREASI Religious Education and Child Protection Support

Consultancy Needed - KREASI Religious Education and Child Protection Support 

Background: 

Kolaborasi untuk Edukasi Anak Indonesia (KREASI), or Collaboration for the Education of Indonesian Children, is a program designed to accelerate the improvement of literacy, numeracy, and character education for pre-school and primary school students in 8 districts across 4 provinces in Indonesia. The program is funded by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) through the Multiplier Grant allocated for Indonesia. KREASI, and its Grant Agent, Save the Children Australia and Save the Children Indonesia as the in-country representative, were appointed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (MoECRT) and the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA), with the endorsement of Mitra Pendidikan Indonesia / Local Education Group (MPI/LEG), a consortium of 17 international and local education stakeholder organizations. The program is closely aligned with Indonesia’s national education goals, particularly the Merdeka Belajar initiative, which emphasizes essential and flexible learning processes tailored to the interests, talents, and needs of each student, focusing on holistic, relevant, and sustainable education. To support this mission, the KREASI program is seeking an external collaborator or consultant with strong understanding and proven experience in working with the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) on education and child protection issues, particularly within religious schools such as Raudhatul Athfal and Madrasah Ibtidaiyah. This role will be critical in advancing the integration of gender-responsive, disabilityinclusive, socially equitable, and climate-resilient practices within the education and child protection systems in these schools. The consultant will contribute to embedding these principles across KREASI’s four core pillars—Curriculum and Assessment, School Leadership, Teaching and Learning, and Child Protection—by strengthening the capacity of educators, schools, and local communities. The aim is to dismantle systemic barriers to education and enhance resilience to climaterelated risks, ensuring that all children—regardless of gender, ability, social background, or environmental vulnerability—can thrive in safe, inclusive, and sustainable learning environments.

Objectives: 

The objective of this consultancy is to provide strategic and technical support to the KREASI Program in strengthening religious education and child protection systems within institutions under the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA), with a focus on Raudhatul Athfal (RA) and Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI). This should include incorporating current MoRA initiatives related to Kurikulum Cinta and Ecotheology. The external collaborator will contribute to the design, implementation, and capacity-building efforts that promote safe, inclusive, and gender-responsive learning environments to MoRA staff in Provincial and District levels and Headmaster also Teachers at MoRA-affiliated schools. This role aims to enhance the integration of child protection standards, gender equality, disability inclusion, and climate resilience into both policy and practice—ensuring all children can learn and thrive without discrimination or risk.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Integration of Education and Child Protection in MoRA Context 

• Provide recommendations on how to support the integration of education quality improvement and child protection strategies across the four core components of the KREASI Program—Curriculum & Assessment, Teaching & Learning, School Leadership, and Child Protection—within the planning and implementation of MoRA-affiliated implementing partners. 
• Identify gaps, opportunities, and synergies in current practices and systems at Raudhatul Athfal (RA) and Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI), with the aim of strengthening inclusive, safe, and supportive learning environments. 
• Provide a clear framework for the alignment of strategies and interventions with government policies, MoRA frameworks, and relevant district-level regulations, to enhance coherence, accountability, and sustainability in religious education and child protection.

Curriculum, Assessment, & Teaching Materials

• Develop a clear guideline on how to adapt and/or develop curriculum content and teaching materials for preschool (Raudhatul Athfal) and primary (Madrasah Ibtidaiyah) levels that promote inclusive and climate-responsive education, contextualized to the specific characteristics and needs of target districts. This may include elements such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL), strengthening the role of ULD, and incorporating current initiatives related to Kurikulum Cinta and Ecotheology.
• Provide technical recommendations for the design and development of learning materials that are responsive to gender equality, disability inclusion, and social equity (GEDSI), as well as to climate resilience. Ensure all materials are aligned with local contexts, reflect district government priorities, and support the overall learning objectives of the KREASI program and MoRA strategies and plan.

Capacity Building

• Provide technical recommendations to implementing partners for the design and delivery of training sessions for teacher and school leaders within MoRA-affiliated schools. This includes facilitating coaching sessions and workshops on gendersensitive teaching practices, inclusive education approaches, and school-based disaster preparedness.
• Develop an easy advisory document on how to empower the local education ecosystems, including parents, community leaders, and school committees, to actively contribute to outreach, protection, and school-based resilience initiatives—ensuring the sustainability and relevance of KREASI’s interventions in religious education settings.

Policy Advocacy & Stakeholder Engagement

• Map and analyze existing policies, frameworks, and practices related to education, child protection, also mainstreaming issues: gender-responsive, disability-inclusive education (GEDSI) and climate change education (CCE) within MoRA-affiliated schools at the district level, identifying gaps, opportunities, and alignment with KREASI’s programmatic goals.
• Revise and advise for the improvement of Program Management Unit (PMU) and local implementing partners to ensure that all advocacy and campaign materials— including toolkits, policy briefs, and infographics—are aligned with KREASI’s Technical Guidelines and effectively communicate key messages to local and district stakeholders.
• Provide technical advise to the education ecosystems at both the district and provincial levels to advocate for the adoption and institutionalization of education and child protection aspects including GEDSI-responsive and climate-resilient education policies in religious schools.
• Under the leadership of the Head of Progra, join KREASI team in representation activities in relevant forums, networks, and stakeholder engagements focused on religious education and child protection at the national and provincial level, promoting the integration of GEDSI and Climate Change principles within MoRA’s education system.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, & Learning

• Review and suggest enhancement of KREASI program to apply appropriate indicators for supporting the advancement of religious education and child protection sector, and use relevant monitoring and evaluation (M&E) tools in coordination with the MEAL team, to track progress and outcomes within MoRAaffiliated schools.
• Conduct field assessments and contribute to operational research on the effectiveness of religious education and child protection programs that using inclusive and climate-resilient approaches, identifying barriers, enablers, and contextual adaptations in Raudhatul Athfal and Madrasah Ibtidaiyah.
• Document lessons learned, success stories, and promising practices from field implementation to inform continuous program improvement and support knowledge sharing across stakeholders at district, provincial, and national levels.

Key Stakeholders: Save the Children Indonesia’s KREASI program team, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Education and Culture, Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, Local and district governments and community groups, and others.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in (Religious) Education, Social Sciences, or related fields (Master's preferred).
• Minimum 5 years of experience in religious education and child protection areas, and has worked for projects related to Ministry of Religious Affairs.
• Demonstrated ability to develop training materials, deliver workshops, and engage with multi-level stakeholders.
• Strong knowledge of Indonesia’s education and environmental systems.
• Fluent in Bahasa Indonesia and English.