KASHIM ZAKARI

· Direct and supported a team of 30 teachers delivering daily English classes to Afghan evacuees, ensuring efficient schedules, resource allocation, and adherence to IOM standards.

• Contributed to developing and updating teaching materials that catered to diverse language proficiency levels and literacy backgrounds.
• Incorporated practical, real-life language scenarios (e.g., shopping, healthcare, employment) to enhance learners’ readiness for U.S. resettlement.
• Conducted initial language assessments, tracked individual learning progress, and provided ongoing feedback to teachers.
• Prepared progress reports and maintained accurate records for donor and internal monitoring purposes.
• Collaborated with IOM program officers, the U.S. Department of State, and other partners to align educational activities with overall migration and resettlement objectives.
• Liaised with camp management, medical teams, and psychosocial support services to address holistic needs of learners.
• Organized cultural orientation sessions and basic life-skills workshops to help evacuees adapt to U.S. social norms and expectations.
• Facilitated group discussions and peer-learning opportunities, fostering a supportive learning community among participants.

Achievements & Impact

• Contributed to increased student engagement by assisting in the creation of interactive learning materials for diverse classroom settings.
• Contributed to professional development workshops for educators, enhancing their knowledge of current teaching methodologies and strategies applicable to their subject matter expertise.
• Assisted in the coordination of extracurricular activities, fostering a well-rounded educational experience for all students.
• Enhanced language readiness for thousands of learners, contributing to smoother transitions upon arrival in the U.S.
• Streamlined data collection and reporting, improving transparency and facilitating informed decision-making for donor-funded programs.

Key Challenges Addressed

• Adapted lesson plans for a fast-changing student population with varied educational backgrounds.
• Ensured continuity of learning in a transient environment.

• Oversaw the planning, implementation, and monitoring of emergency and accelerated education programs for conflict-affected children and youth in internally displaced person (IDP) camps and host communities
• Established strong relationships with key stakeholders, ensuring support for program initiatives.
• Built teams to address project goals and objectives for multiple projects.
• Implemented risk management strategies to mitigate potential barriers to project success.
• Addressed and resolved technical, financial, and operational concerns by working with team members and directors.
• Conducted comprehensive program evaluations, identifying areas for improvement and recommending actionable solutions.
• Managed and supervised administrative and daily program operations, complying with policies and regulations.
• Coached team members on professional development opportunities, contributing to improved overall performance.
• Utilized data-driven decision-making approaches to inform strategy development and optimize outcomes.
• Negotiated contracts with vendors, securing favorable terms that supported budgetary constraints.
• Recruited, interviewed and hired employees and implemented mentoring program to promote positive feedback and engagement.
• Established performance goals for employees and provided feedback on methods for reaching those milestones.
• Led the development of remedial classes and Accelerated Education Programs (AEP), ensuring alignment with NRC’s strategic objectives and donor requirements
• Collaborated closely with major donors such as ECHO, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SIDA, and UNICEF to secure funding, develop project proposals, and deliver periodic project reports
• Organized workshops and coaching sessions to strengthen the pedagogical, psychosocial, and child protection skills of teaching staff, enhancing the quality of instruction and student well-being
• Supervised the construction/rehabilitation of temporary learning spaces and distribution of educational materials to children, improving access to safe and conducive learning environments
• Established strong working relationships with local education authorities, parent-teacher associations (PTAs), and community leaders to increase enrollment, support retention, and advocate for education rights
• Key Achievements:
• Significantly increased enrollment and attendance among out-of-school and displaced children by implementing targeted outreach and community sensitization
• Expanded psycho-social support (PSS) interventions for learners, including training teachers to recognize and address trauma-related needs
• Maintained high donor satisfaction through timely reporting, transparent resource management, and responsive project adjustments
• Challenges Addressed: Navigated security risks, fluctuating funding, infrastructure damage, and teacher shortages by devising adaptive project strategies and coordinating with humanitarian agencies, governmental agencies for effective solutions.

• Line management for education CC (core competencies) project officers in the area
• Compliance and adherence to NRC policies, guidance, and procedures
• Contribute to the development of country and area education CC (Core Competency) strategies; initiate and participate in the development of education CC projects
• Monitored expenditures to remain within budgets and improve forecasting accuracy.
• Developed community education programming events and other activities designed to increase and improve educational outcomes.
• Spearheaded outreach activities to expand educational opportunities and promote programs and services.
• Built relationships with external stakeholders, community organizations and donors to increase program scope.
• Evaluated program effectiveness using data analysis techniques to assess student performance trends and inform future adjustments.
• Coordinate and manage the education project implementation (activities, budget, spending plans, workplans, report and project documentation) in line with proposals, strategies and donor requirements
• Implement technical direction and ensure high technical quality of projects
• Provide regular progress reports to the Area Manager and the CC Specialist
• Ensure that projects target programme participants who are the most in need of protection; explore and asses new and better ways to assist
• Develop and manage project budget (in cooperation with Education CC Specialist) and coordinate across CCs
• Ensure recruitment and capacity building of project staff and transfer key skills
• Liaise and collaborate with relevant local authorities and other key stakeholders
• Promote the rights of IDPs (Internal Displaced People)/returnees in line with the advocacy strategy
• Directly line managing one Education Officer and indirectly line managing two Education Assistants and providing them with technical and administrative support in their duties
• Identifying capacity gaps and providing informal capacity development for staff
• Identification and enrolment of master trainers for skills acquisition training for youths and adolescents
• Preparing monitoring documents, work plans, activity reports, spending plans and procurement plans for project activities
• Ensuring that quality activities are implemented on time and in compliance with organizational and donor requirements
• Conducting regular field visits to project locations to ensure timeliness and quality of implementation in the field and provide regular updates on project status
• Applying protection and prevention mechanisms in all project activities and interactions to ensure the safety and wellbeing of staff and beneficiaries
• Managing and monitoring project budgets and ensuring spending is compliant with the project budget
• Use of Unit 4 accelerator and GORS reporting system
• Representing NRC in meetings and coordination with education actors in the area, communities and LGA education and government representative
• Contribute to CC strategy development, project proposals and provide input on needs and gaps
• Manage and implement delegated portfolio of education projects (activities, budget and project documentation) as delegated from PM in line with proposals, strategies and donor requirements, and ensure high technical quality
• Provide regular progress reports to Project Manager
• Ensure that projects target beneficiaries most in need of protection, explore and assess new and better ways to assist
• Promote and share ideas for improvement and necessary changes in the activities
• Liaise and collaborate with relevant local authorities and other key stakeholders.
• Supported student success by monitoring progress and implementing intervention strategies when necessary.
• Developed partnerships with local businesses to support educational programs, enhancing real-world learning opportunities.
• Fostered culture of inclusivity, developing programs that cater to diverse student populations.
• Created a welcoming atmosphere for all stakeholders involved in the education process through open lines of communication and transparent decision making.
• Increased staff satisfaction and retention, providing mentorship and professional growth opportunities.
• Facilitated strong connections between schools and community organizations by identifying partnership opportunities that enhanced program offerings for students.
• Streamlined communication between teachers, parents, and students by organizing informative meetings and distributing regular updates on program progress.
• Negotiated with vendors for educational tools and materials, ensuring cost-effective resource acquisition.
• Promoted a positive learning environment through effective classroom management strategies and fostering strong relationships with students.
• Spearheaded grant writing efforts to secure funding for new initiatives or improvements to existing programs within the school district.
• Evaluated programs and monitored implementation and compliance with regulations to achieve objectives.

• (AECID/SPNO Project), Support in documenting lessons learnt and best practices of the project
• Support assessment of Education sector in the state of implementation e.g., JENA (Joint Education Need Assessment) and MSNA (Multi Sectoral Need Assessment)
• Review, assess and update the education situation in areas affected by emergency
• Highlight education issues requiring a response – both immediate (less than 2 months), medium term, and make recommendations on specific PLAN actions required
• Enhanced project efficiency by streamlining communication channels and implementing effective collaboration tools.
• Partnered with project team members to identify and quickly address problems.
• Kept stakeholders informed of progress through regular status updates clearly communicating any changes to project scope, timeline or budget.
• Improved stakeholder satisfaction by conducting thorough project needs assessments and delivering customized solutions.
• Fostered a culture of continuous learning by conducting training sessions and workshops aimed at enhancing team skills and knowledge.
• Coordinated work efforts across multiple departments fostering a cohesive environment conducive to achieving project success efficiently.
• Kept senior management well-informed by preparing and presenting project status reports.
• Developed comprehensive project plans outlining scope, timeline, budget constraints, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Spearheaded cost-saving initiatives by identifying inefficiencies in processes and recommending optimal solutions for improvement.
• Negotiated contracts with vendors to secure favorable terms and optimize resource allocation for projects.
• Monitored project progress, identified risks and took corrective action as needed.
• Facilitated workshops to collect project requirements and user feedback.
• Recruited and oversaw personnel to achieve performance and quality targets.
• Ensure core commitments to children are taken into consideration
• Ensure key data from assessments can be used as a baseline for program evaluation
• If additional baseline data is required to evaluate children’s learning outcomes, then work with appropriate colleagues to collect this additional information
• In collaboration with national and international Education actors, map current institutional response capacities – including conducting an education specific 3Ws
• Support in designing appropriate education interventions based on the outcomes of assessments and the context
• Inclusion of quality issues in education and learning outcomes is important
• Ensure that issues of early childhood, gender, protection, DRR, and conflict sensitivity are factored into the program design
• Ensure Plan international guidelines, UN education cluster standards and INEE Minimum Standards, are considered and any departures documented
• Provide regular updates to Project Coordinator and Education in Emergencies Specialist, on progress, priorities and constraints – verbally and in writing on an agreed frequency
• Represent Plan International to clusters, governmental and non-governmental groups as needed and agreed with the Team Leader
• Support the implementation of, and represent Plan International in, emergency education coordination mechanisms including any relevant cluster
• Brief updates and reports on sectoral activities/strategies to donors and other stakeholders
• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility
• This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures
• Child Protection Education in Emergency Acting Team Lead (ECHO Project)

• Oversee implementation of the CP/EiE project activities in Maiduguri, stadium camp in accordance with the project goals and target indicators
• Monitor and Supervise teams on a regular basis by providing technical and administrative guidance to the field-based teams, identifying potential additional needs of the teams and of the communities, make recommendations, and follow up on action points
• Directly supervise and support the field-based Officers, jointly shape weekly and monthly action plans and oversee their implementation
• In a close coordination with the field-based Officers, provide supervision and mentorship to the PSS, Case Management, Community Development and Education in Emergencies Officers to ensure that activities are carried out accountably and efficiently, gender is mainstreamed into activities and beneficiary`s participation is included from the onset of the project
• Participate in revision of Job Descriptions, staff recruitment, staff performance appraisals and other tasks related to HR/Admin
• In close coordination with M&E unit, ensure that project database is regularly and accurately updated
• Identify knowledge and skills gaps within the team in coordination with Capacity Building Officer to ensure those needs are addressed in a timely manner; contribute to shaping the training/workshop packages and their implementation
• Participate in drafting narrative reports to the funding institutions, submit weekly/monthly reports to the Deputy Programmed Manager
• Contribute to the development of technical documents in the field of PSS, Case Management, Community-based Outreach, Education in Emergencies as well as multi-sectoral programming
• Participate in the relevant inter-agency CPiE and EiE, general coordination meetings and fora to ensure that Tdh activities are well communicated
• Promote inclusion and equal access to education for every child, paying attention to the most vulnerable and at-risk children.

• Implemented and monitored the EiE pilot project in the North-Eastern Nigerian emergency contexts
• Played a strong leadership role within the education team in area of response, managing an education team and working closely with Partner staff
• Oversee the implementation of all teacher education activities in Yobe and Borno States in formal and non-formal schools/centers
• Oversee training, coaching and on-going support of teachers, tutors and learning facilitators in order to improve instructional practices in literacy, numeracy and social and emotional skills
• Ensure technical coordination of state-level activities related to teacher education and curriculum development and obtain support from directorates and local government authorities as needed Oversight of teacher education interventions
• Oversee the selection of learning facilitators and tutors for the intervention and contribute to tools for selection such as assessment tools
• Oversee the initial training of learning facilitators, as well as their continuous professional development
• Monitor progress towards the objectives and intended outputs pertaining to teacher education using routine data, spot checks, observation, and other methodologies
• Provide regular written and verbal reports on education activities to supervisors, senior management, project partners and donors
• Promote the quality of teacher education activities by setting up quality assurance mechanisms and checks in collaboration with other staff.

• (The Education for Vulnerable Children Project ECHO)
• Street Child In collaboration with Gender Equality Peace and Development Center, Enrollment and identification of children using Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) and Early Grade Mathematical Assessment (EGMA)
• Understanding scope and sequence in Basic Literacy
• Letter identification, sounding digraph, reading CVC words and decodable text, teaching sight words
• (RARA) Reading Along and Reading Aloud, vocabulary development and comprehension reading
• Scope and sequence in numeracy, place value concept, fractions, addition and subtraction and multiplications
• (SEL) Social emotional learning environment
• WASH personal hygiene and sanitation
• Record keeping of admission forms, scheme of work, lesson plan and lesson note weekly report and register weekly.