Terms of Reference for the Consultancy Services to Design and Develop a Mandatory Online Course on Special Needs and Inclusive Education for Teachers

TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE CONSULTANCY SERVICES TO DESIGN AND create A MANDATORY ONLINE COURSE ON SPECIAL NEEDS AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR TEACHERS

Summary 

1.About Chance for Childhood

 We are child centred international non-governmental organization supporting children and young people in Africa who face inequalities such as lack of access to education and safe spaces, providing them with the tools and skills they need to build their own futures. 

We don’t work alone. Together with partners, supporters, children, and their communities, we protect, educate, and create lasting change for every child threatened by violence, neglect and conflict. 

We believe that no child should have to fight for a safe, happy childhood. We exist to make sure that every child in Africa can thrive from their early years through to adulthood.

Our interventions in Africa are in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

2. Project background 

2.1 Project overview

The Realising Inclusive and Safe Education or RISE is a 5-year, multi-country project funded by the Scottish Government. In Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia, RISE has been strengthening government assist for children with disabilities and ensure these children are able to access a safe and quality education.

2.2 Objectives

The key objectives of the RISE project that contribute to a more equitable and inclusive education system that prioritizes safety, well-being, and equal access to quality education for all students, fostering a positive learning experience for everyone involved including learners with disabilities and other special educational needs include but not limited the following:

• Increase accessible enrolment through disability screening, assessment and referral services
• Equip educators with the knowledge, skills, and tools to deliver inclusive and safe education effectively.
• Foster collaboration among families, communities, government entities, and civil society organizations to assist inclusive and safe education.

2.3 Expected project outcomes

• Outcome 1: Accessible enrolment through disability screening, assessment and referral service
• Outcome 2: School staff include Inclusive Education in the day-to-day operations of the school, including classroom practice
• Outcome 3: Community and school staff are oriented to the safety and wellbeing of Children/Learners with Disabilities

3. About the assignment

Chance for Childhood (CFC), in partnership with Ministry of Education- Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB), is committed to strengthening inclusive education in Rwanda by improving teachers' knowledge and competencies in Special Needs and Inclusive Education (SNIE). Over the past years, REB, in collaboration with its partners, has developed and implemented various teacher training programmes on inclusive education. These efforts include the recently revised second edition of the Teacher Training Manual on Special Needs and Inclusive Education (SNIE), along with its accompanying technical guide, developed through a collaborative process with Chance for Childhood. The updated materials are now available on the REB e-learning platform to assist continuous teacher professional development. 

However, a significant gap remains in providing flexible opportunities for teachers’ self-learning and continuous access to quality professional development resources. To address this gap and promote equitable access to effective learning opportunities, REB is establishing a mandatory online self-paced course on Special Needs and Inclusive Education, which will be hosted on the REB E-learning Platform.

The course will deliver teachers with practical knowledge and skills to detect and respond to learners' diverse needs while promoting inclusive teaching and learning practices. It will also contribute to institutionalizing inclusive education within the national Continuous Professional Development (CPD) framework for teachers.

To assist this initiative, Chance for Childhood seeks to recruit an experienced consultant to design the instructional architecture of the course, create engaging learning scripts and multimedia storyboards, facilitate the validation process, and deliver technical guidance during digitalisation, testing and deployment.

3.1 Purpose of the consultancy

The purpose of this consultancy is to design a high-quality, learner-centred and fully accessible online course on Special Needs and Inclusive Education that equips teachers with practical competencies while ensuring an engaging digital learning experience.

The consultant will produce a complete instructional package that is ready for digitalisation, upload to the REB E-learning Platform, future updating and long-term sustainability.

3.2. Objectives of the assignment

The consultancy aims to:

• create a competency-based online course aligned with Rwanda's teacher professional development framework.
• Transform existing face-to-face training materials into concise, engaging and interactive digital learning content.
• Ensure the course is fully accessible to all teachers, including persons with disabilities.
• Produce instructional scripts, storyboards and multimedia specifications ready for digitization.
• assist REB and CFC during validation, digitalization, testing and deployment.
• Deliver a transferable course package that can easily be maintained and updated by REB.

3.3. Engaged stakeholders 

Effective stakeholder engagement is essential to the successful design and development of the mandatory online course on Special Needs and Inclusive Education for teachers. The process will bring together key stakeholders, including government institutions, teacher education institutions, CSOs, OPDs, development partners, and inclusive education experts, to deliver technical guidance and ensure the course is relevant, accessible, learner-centred, and aligned with national standards. The table below outlines the key stakeholders and their respective roles and responsibilities throughout the consultancy.

3.4. Scope of the assignment

The consultant shall work closely with Chance for Childhood and REB throughout the assignment.

a. Phase I: evaluate and instructional design

The consultant shall:

• evaluate and analyse existing national reference materials, including:
  • Updated Teacher Training Manual on Special Needs and Inclusive Education (2nd edition) available on the REB E-learning Platform;
  • Teacher Training Colleges (TTC) curriculum content on SNIE;
  • Training materials for uncertified teachers, particularly the module on Inclusive Education and Cross-cutting Issues;
  • Relevant national policies, standards and guidelines.
• detect core competencies and learning outcomes.
• Recommend the most appropriate online learning pathway.
• create the instructional design document.
• Produce the course outline, learning flow and assessment strategy.

b. Phase II: Course development

The consultant shall:

• create complete learning scripts for all units
• produce detailed multimedia storyboards.
• create trainees activities.
• produce narration scripts.
• Design animation guidance.
• Produce graphics and visual concepts where applicable.
• make sure that all learning materials are accessible, inclusive, concise, practical and engaging.
• Adopt instructional approaches that: progress from simple to complex concepts; encourage active participation; promote reflection and practical application; reduce unnecessary reading and maximise audio-visual learning.

c. Phase III: Technical validation

The consultant shall:

• Present the draft course to CfC, REB and stakeholders.
• Participate in technical validation sessions.
• Incorporate comments and recommendations.
• Produce the final validated instructional package.

d. Phase IV: Digitalization, testing and deployment assist

Working alongside the designated technical digitization team, the consultant shall:

• deliver guidance during animation and multimedia production.
• Review digitized units.
• Verify consistency between scripts and digital content.
• Participate in testing and piloting.
• Address identified issues.
• assist final quality assurance before deployment.
• Ensure the final package is fully transferable for future editing and maintenance.

4. Course design technical specifications

4.1 Course design standards

The online course shall be designed to deliver an enjoyable, practical and motivating learning experience.

The course shall be:

• Trainee-centred;
• Competency-based;
• Practical and action-oriented;
• Concise and easy to understand;
• Visually attractive;
• Accessible ;
• Inclusive;
• Interactive;
• Self-paced;
• Suitable for adult trainees;
• Fully aligned with existing approved REB training materials.

The learning journey should minimize long textual explanations and maximize the use of:

• Animations;
• Illustrations;
• Icons;
• Infographics;
• Practical examples;
• Short videos where appropriate;
• Reflective exercises;
• Real classroom scenarios.

4.2 Accessibility requirements

The consultant shall ensure compliance with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles and digital accessibility standards.

The course shall therefore include:

• Professional audio narration;
• Closed captions/subtitles;
• Rwandan Sign Language interpretation;
• Accessible navigation;
• Readable typography;
• Appropriate colour contrast;
• Alternative text for images where applicable;
• Compatibility with desktop and mobile devices.

Accessibility shall not be treated as an additional feature but as an integral component of the instructional design.

4.3 Course structure

Each learning unit shall follow a consistent structure comprising:

• Welcome and introduction
• Pedagogical objectives
• Main learning content
• Interactive learning activities
• Key takeaways (wrap-up)
• Formative assessment

Learning units should be short, focused and designed to keep trainees engagement.

4.4 Assessment strategy

The course shall include continuous assessment throughout the learning journey.

Assessment methods shall include:

• Multiple choice questions (MCQs);
• Scenario-based questions;
• Knowledge checks;
• Reflective activities;
• End-of-unit quizzes;
• Final summative assessment.

Progression requirements:

• Trainee shall successfully complete each unit before accessing the next.
• Minimum pass marks shall be agreed during course validation.
• Final performance shall be calculated cumulatively across all assessments.

Upon successful completion of the course, the system shall automatically generate a Performance certificate reflecting the trainee's overall achievement based on the cumulative assessment score.

5. Ethical consideration

The consultant is expected to perform thedesign and development of a mandatory online course in a professional way, considering that CfC has zero tolerance for any misconduct against the beneficiaries including children with disabilities. Therefore, the consultant should indicate in their application how they will protect the rights of the vulnerable population. This includes CfC policy of not exposing child’s face or any other over exposure. In any case, the consultant will seek the informed consent to the participants first before any data is collected. 

6. Roadmap and deliverables

The consultant shall work on specific activities, and the expected deliverables are indicated by the following table: 

Deliverables

The consultant shall submit the following:

• Inception Report including methodology and work plan;
• Complete instructional design package ready for digitization, comprising: (Detailed course outline and module structure; Learning pathway and assessment framework; Instructional scripts for all course units; Multimedia storyboards; Narration scripts; Animation guidance; Multimedia and technical specifications for online course development.)
• Final validated instructional package;
• Quality assurance report following testing;

7. Budget and application guidelines

The total budget for this consultancy is Eight millions Rwandan Francs (8,000,000 Rwfs) which is inclusive of all related costs including 15% withholding tax.

Applicants are requested to deliver a proposal in line with the details provided above.

8. Terms of payment

This should be discussed and agreed on during contract signing time. However, 20% of the total cost should be advanced upon signing and the remained should be paid upon completion of the assignment’s deliverables. 

9. Key skills and Competence requirements

The consultant tasked with designing and developing a mandatory online course on Special Needs and Inclusive Education for teachers under the RISE Project is expected to possess the following qualifications and competencies:

• At least a master’s degree in special Needs Education, Inclusive Education, Curriculum Development, Educational Technology, Instructional Design, or a related field.
• Proven experience in designing and developing competency-based online learning courses, preferably for teacher professional development or higher education. 
• Demonstrated experience in instructional design, including the development of learning scripts, storyboards, multimedia specifications, and interactive digital learning content. 
• Strong knowledge and practical experience in Special Needs and Inclusive Education, particularly within the Rwandan education context and international best practices. 
• Sound understanding of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), digital accessibility standards, and the integration of accessibility features such as audio narration, captions, and Rwandan Sign Language. 
• In-depth knowledge of Rwanda's education policies, teacher competency framework, and national and international frameworks on inclusive education and the rights of persons with disabilities. 
• Proven ability to transform face-to-face training materials into engaging, trainee-centred, and self-paced online learning experiences. 
• Experience working with Learning Management Systems (LMS), preferably Moodle or similar e-learning platforms, and familiarity with SCORM-compliant course development is an added advantage. 
• Excellent skills in developing clear, concise, well-structured, and user-friendly instructional materials. 
• Strong facilitation and presentation skills, with experience leading technical evaluate and validation workshops involving diverse stakeholders. 
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with government institutions, development partners, and multidisciplinary technical teams. 
• Excellent organizational, project management, and time management skills, with the ability to deliver high-quality outputs within agreed timelines. 
• Flexibility, responsiveness, and openness to incorporating feedback throughout the design and validation process. 
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with a collaborative and client-oriented approach. 
• Full commitment to Chance for Childhood's core values, including compliance with its Child Safeguarding and Protection Policy, Code of perform, and ethical standards.

10. How to Apply:

Interested individual, company or group of suitable candidates are requested to submit their application via the email: apply@chanceforchildhood.orgwith subject line “Designing and developing a mandatory online course on Special Needs and Inclusive Education for teachers /RISE Project”, not later thanthe 12th July 2026 at 5:00 pm Rwandan time.

An eligible application file must be composed by the following documents: 

• A motivation letter 
• A detailed CV of consultant (s)
• Technical proposal, highlighting the consultant’s experience in similar assignments and how he/she is planning to deliver the assignment’s deliverables;
• Sample of the previous collaborate with three persons of contact as references
• Financial proposal with detailed budget breakdown

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted due to anticipated high volume of applications. 

11. Safeguarding

Chance for Childhood promotes and upholds the principles of equal opportunities and its policies. Chance for Childhood has a zero-tolerance approach to any harm to, or exploitation of, a vulnerable adult or a child by any of our staff, representatives, or partners. Recruitment to all jobs at Chance for Childhood includes criminal record checks/police background check and the collection of relevant references. Safeguarding our beneficiaries is our top priority in everything we do.

The successful candidate will therefore need to evaluate, agree, and sign Chance for Childhood’s Global Safeguarding Policy (CPP) prior to starting the post.

12. Prevention from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)

The successful candidate shall not be involved in any sexual exploitation or abuse. The consultant shall make sure that he/she comply with the highest standards of moral and ethical perform. Any incident of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse shall be reported to Chance for Childhood.

For the purposes hereof, the following definitions shall be used: 

Sexual exploitation means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. 

Sexual abuse means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.

Done in Kigali 30th June 2026

Felicien Turatsinze 

Country Representative and Head of operations East Africa.