Strong foundations Early childhood care and education Cairo 12 November 2006 UNGEI meeting

Strong foundations

Early childhood care and education

Cairo12 November 2006

UNGEI meeting

Education for All Dakar Goals and Millennium Development Goals

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

2. Achieve universal primary education

3. Promote gender equality and empower women

4. Reduce child mortality, and other health goals

5. Improve maternal health

1. Expand and improve comprehensive early childhood care and education

2. Universal primary education by 2015

3. Learning and life skills programmes for youth and adults

4. 50% increase in adult literacy rates by 2015

5. Gender parity by 2005 and gender equality by 2015

6. Improving quality of education

MDGsEFA Goals

No country in need should be denied international assistance

1

Far from EFA (EDI below 0.80)

Intermediate position(EDI between

0.80 and 0.94)

EFA achieved or close (EDI between 0.95 and 1.00)

5028

2

182

13

62

2

114819

47

15

617

3

4

11

EFA: Where do we stand?

Sub-Saharan Africa

Arab States

Central Asia

East Asia/Pacific

South and West Asia

N. America /West. Europe

Latin America/Caribbean

Central/Eastern Europe

Out of 125 countries, 47 have achieved the EFA goals.

Countries showing the greatest progress are in the lowest scoring group

Excludes many countries far from goals, e.g. those in conflict

Total

2

More and more children are starting school

1999 2004

80 100 120 140

Arab States

Central/East. Europe

N. America/West. Europe

East Asia/Pacific

Central Asia

Sub-Saharan Africa


South/WestAsia

Gross intake rate in primary education (%)

Sharp increases in Grade 1 access in Sub-

Saharan Africa and South and West Asia

3

0.80 0.90 1.00 1.10

Arab States

Central/EasternEurope

Central Asia

East Asia/Pacific

LatinAmerica/Caribbean

North America/Western Europe

South/West Asia

Sub-Saharan Africa

Gender Parity Index in Gross Intake Rate in primary education

Global gender parity index up

from 0.92 in 1999 to 0.94 in 2004

Rapid progress in countries

with low enrolment ratios and

high gender disparities

Mauritania, Malawi, Qatar and

Uganda among countries that

achieved gender parity between

1999 and 2004

Trend benefiting girls

4

Gender parity in primary

About two-thirds of countries out of 181 with data have achieved gender parity in primary education

Gaps still concentrated in Arab States, South and West Asia and Sub Saharan Africa: roughly 90 girls for every 100 boys

Gender parity

Primary education

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

1.1

GP

I in

GER

Sub-SaharanAfrica

Arab States South/WestAsia

Latin AmericaCaribbean

Centr./East.Europe


Central Asia East Asia/Pacific

1999 2004

5

77 million children still not in school

6

0 5 10 15 20 25

Central Asia

Central/ Eastern Europe


Arab States

East Asia/Pacific

South/ WestAsia

Sub-Saharan Africa

Out-of-school children, million

female

male

Drop of 20 million since 1999, mainly in South Asia

117 girls out of school for every 100 boys

Marked exclusion in Arab States and South and West Asia

But rural residence, household poverty and mother’s lack of education are more determining factors

Who is out-of-school?Rural, poor, uneducated mother

Enrolled but dropped out

(9% )

Expected to enter late

(31% ) Expected tonever enrol

(60% )

47

53

18

82

23

77

25

75

0 20 40 60 80 100

Male

Female

Urban

Rural

Richest 40%

Poorest 60%

Mother with some education

Mother with no education

Distribution of out-of-school children (percentage) 2001Out-of-school children by

schooling experience

7

Too few pupils completeprimary school

In addition to increasing access, improving retention is a key to reducing out-of-school children

0

20

40

60

80

100

Rw

and

aB

uru

ndi

Leso

tho

Madagasc

ar

Ghana

Sw

azi

land

Ben

inN

iger

Tog

oE

ritr

ea

Mali

Cape V

erd

eC

am

ero

on

Mauri

tius

Mauri

tan

iaM

oro

cco

Saudi

Alg

eri

aLe

banon

Om

an

Kuw

ait

Mong

olia

Aze

rbaija

nTajik

ista

nK

aza

khst

an

Lao P

. D

.M

yan

mar

Nepal

Bangla

desh

Nic

ara

gua

Ecu

ador

Guate

mala

Colo

mbia

Panam

aB

oliv

iaD

om

inic

aC

ost

a R

ica

Barb

ados

Bela

rus

Survival rates to last grade (%) Cohort completion rates (%)

8

Girls’ better completionAlmost everywhere except Sub-Saharan Africa, girls are more

likely to stay in primary school longer than boys

9

0

20

40

60

80

100

Mauri

tania

Pale

sti

nia

n

Moro

cco

Alg

eri

a

Lebanon

Kuw

ait

Om

an

Taji

kis

tan

Kazakhsta

n

Lao P

DR

Myanm

ar

Nic

ara

gua

Guate

mala

Colo

mbia

Ecu

ador

Boli

via

Panam

a

Costa

Ric

a

Dom

inic

a

Barb

ados

Nepal

Bangla

desh

Rw

anda

Buru

ndi

Nig

er

Ghana

Sw

azil

and

Benin

Togo

Mali

Cape V

erd

e

U.

R.

Tanzania

Cam

ero

on

Mauri

tius

Eri

trea

Pri

mary

coh

ort

com

ple

tion

rate

(%

) Male Female

Arab States East AsiaPacific


South West Asia

Sub-Saharan Africa

Central Asia

Needed: more trained teachers

Sub-Saharan Africa needs to recruit at least 1.6 million more teachers to reach UPE by 2015

Serious shortages in rural areas

Too few female teachers in countries with low enrolment of girls

Slight improvement in pupil-teacher ratios in most regions between 1999 and 2004

Only slight increase in % of trained teachers

10

40 60 80 100

Arab States

Central/EasternEurope

Central Asia

East AsiaPacific


North America/Western Europe

South/WestAsia

Sub-SaharanAfrica

% Female teachers

pre-primary primary

In pre-primary nearly all

teachers are women

Lack of primary school female

teachers in regions where largest

gender disparities persist

Recruiting female teachers

11

Secondary parity

Only one-third of countries have achieved parity at the secondary level

Gender differences greater than in primary education

Low secondary enrolment ratios: disparities at expense of girls

High secondary enrolment ratios: disparities at the expense of boys

Gender parity

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

1.1

1999 2004

Secondary education

GP

I in

GER

AfricaSub-Saharan Arab States South/West

AsiaLatin America

Caribbean

Centr./East.Europe


Central Asia East Asia/Pacific

12

Continued barriers to schooling

Poverty

Direct and indirect costs of education: stipends,

scholarships to increase access

Distance to school

Language and ethnicity

School environment

Social exclusion

Cultural barriers: role in home and in society

13

Multiple sources of exclusion must be overcome

through educational and financial support

Towards gender equality

Public policy must promote equal rights

and treatment of girls

Reducing gender bias in curricula and textbooks

Gender sensitive teacher training and classroom pedagogy

Confronting sexual violence and harassment

14

Gender parity in education does not always mean gender equality

- 100 200 300

D.R.Congo

Afghanistan

Morocco

I ran, I sl.Rep.

Egypt

Brazil

I ndonesia

Ethiopia

Pakistan

Bangladesh

China

I ndia

All adult illiterates 2000-2004 (millions)

Women illiterates

Total illiterates

Literacy remains elusive

One in five adults – 781

million – lack basic literacy

skills – one in four women

The vast majority live in South

and West Asia, sub-Saharan

Africa and East Asia

15

The ECCE imperative:Young children under threat

Child born in developing world has 40% chance of living in extreme poverty

31% of children in developing countries moderately or severely stunted

10.5 million under-5 children die each year, most from preventable diseases

High under-5 mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa and South/West Asia

Each day 1,800 children infected with HIV

Children in emergency, conflict and post-conflict situations highly vulnerable

16

“Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and

disadvantaged children”

RightsUN Convention on the Rights of the Child

DevelopmentPoverty reduction and the MDG health and education goals

EducationFuture participation and achievement

EquityReducing social inequality

ECCE: strong foundations

17

Nutrition

Thinkingcomprehensively

Holistic programmes encompass:

Nutrition

Health and hygiene

Physical and emotional development

Social skills

Education18

Early childhood, nutrition and education

Iron, nutrition, deworming and psycho-social stimulation impact on learning

Combining nutrition and education has larger and longer-lasting impact

In some cases, impact higher for girls

Access to primary school on time, especially for girls

Retention in primary school

Lower repetition

Better language development

Higher achievement

Nutrition and EducationReinforce Each Other

Early Childhood Participation Improves Later Education

19

Acting early pays off

Most rigorous studies on benefits come from developed countries

U.S. High/Scope Perry study of low-income African-American children higher IQ at age 5 enhanced success at school higher earning at age 40

High returns to programmes in India, Egypt, Colombia, Bolivia

Returns greatest for poorest and most disadvantaged children

‘It is a rare public policy initiative that promotes fairness and social justice and

at the same time promotes productivity in the economy and in society at large.

Investing in disadvantaged young children is such a policy.’

James Heckman, Nobel economics prizewinner

20

A diverse field

21

Ages 3+ Pre-primary and non-formal education for 3+

Ages 0 to 2 Organized / non-formal care and education Support to parents / Parental leave

Governments Private Sector (high private provision in Africa and Arab States, relatively high in Latin America/Caribbean) International NGOs Community-based organizations

Providers

Ages 0 to 8

Informal provision by parents or extended family, at home, family or community settings

Countries with at least one formal programme for children under 3 in 2005 (%)

Programmes for the under-3sThe lack of programmes for the under-3s partly reflects assumptions

about women’s domestic role, out of step with current realities

0% 50% 100%

World

Arab States

Central/ East. Europe

Sub-Saharan Africa

East Asia/ Pacific

South/ West Asia

L. America/ Carib.

Central Asia

N. America/ W. Europe

22

Regional trends in pre-primary

Developed/transition countries


East Asia/Pacific

South and West Asia

Arab States

Sub-Saharan Africa

A three-fold increase in pre-primary enrolments over 30 years

More than 1 in 3 children now enrolled but huge regional differences

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 1999 2004

Gro

ss e

nro

lmen

ts r

ati

os

in p

re-p

rim

ary

(%

)

23

Drivers for ECCE Historical forces

Industrialization and demand for women workers From private charity to public responsibility

More women at work outside agriculture

Strongly associated with participation in pre-school programmes Migration and urbanization

Changing household structures

Fewer extended familiesMore one-parent households

Research on child development

24

20%

26%

31%

41%

41%

47%

47%

Arab States

South/West Asia

Sub-Saharan Africa


East Asia/Pacific

Central Asia

Central/Eastern Europe

Share of women employed in non-agricultural sector

Women in labour force drives ECCE provision

High female employment generates demand for ECCE

25

Poverty limits access

0 20 40 60 80

Niger

D. R. Congo

U. R. Tanzania

Lao PDR

Tajikistan

Uganda

Rwanda

Senegal

Egypt

Bolivia

Myanmar

Azerbaijan

Madagascar

Sierra Leone

Philippines

Cameroon

Kenya

Nicaragua

Mongolia

Haiti

Lesotho

India

Venezuela

Viet Nam

Colombia

Trinidad/Tobago

Attendance rates (%)

Poorer households

Richer households

Higher attendance

for children from

richer households

Lower attendance

among poor who

would benefit most

26

0.8 0.9 1.0 1.1

Arab States

Central/East. Europe

Central Asia

East Asia/Pacific

South/WestAsia


Sub-SaharanAfrica


GPI in GER in pre-primary education

Gender parity line

The gender factor

The gender gap in early

childhood programme enrolments

is small in most countries

Notable improvement in Arab

States but disparities higher than

at other education levels

Afghanistan, Morocco, Pakistan

and Yemen have lowest GPIs in

pre-primary

27

Why the policy neglect?

Slow response to social and economic trends

Role of the family vs role of the state: unclear boundaries

Diversity of sector makes coordination difficult

Child development research results not well known

Lack of rigorous studies in developing countries

Governments prioritize primary education

International aid focuses on other education levels

Early childhood is still not a priority in many developing countries

28

Strong policies for young children:What is needed?

Top-level political endorsement

A national early childhood policy grouping multiple players

A lead agency to coordinate early childhood policies

Integration in national development plans and PRSPs

Staffing, training and standards for all providers

Explicit provision for disadvantaged and vulnerable

Partnerships: NGOs, private sector and international agencies

Financing: higher spending, targeting and more aid

Policy Environment Policy Elements

30

Challenging gender stereotypes

Do pre-school programmes

promote gender specific

expectations?

Teaching materials and

games often promote gender

stereotypes – building blocks

vs housekeeping corner!

Different treatment by

teachers

Changing curriculum and teacher attitudes

Changes in staffing policy: encouraging more men to work in EC programmes

More women in administrative and leadership conditions

Delegations to investigate gender equality in pre-schools (Sweden)

Incentives for schools promoting gender equality

ISSUES POLICIES

31

Promoting school readiness

Mother tongue instruction

Good communications between schools and parents, involving parents as resource people

Integration of ECCE with primary curriculum (Jamaica, France, Guyana)

Connections between teaching and learning styles (Pakistan programme)

Continuity between home and school (home visits, readiness programmes)

Special support for disadvantaged children who have not followed pre-school

(Guatemala)

ECCE can ease the transition to primary schooling, especially for girls

32

Financing ECCE:Finding the balance

Funding is public and private

Less than 10% of public educationspending goes to pre-primary

Even in OECD countries, parents’share can run up to 60%

Universal coverage + extra supportto disadvantaged children (OECD)

Income targeting

Geographical targeting

(remote areas,urban slums)

Targeting specific groups: disabled,

those in emergency situations

How to allocate limited resources to children most in need?

A universal policy with targeted spending on most disadvantaged?

33

ECCE: A low priority for donors

Aid to ECCE as % of aid to primary education

0 5 10 15

J apan

EC

United Kingdom

Germany

France

Netherlands

Denmark

UNDP

Italy

Canada

Ireland

Belgium

Luxembourg

Portugal

Norway

New Zealand

UNICEF

Australia

Finland

Spain

Almost all donors allocate to pre-primary

less than 10% of what they give to primary

Bilateral donors give priority to centre-

based programmes for children from age 3

34

Action Now!

1. Act on all goals: early childhood, literacy and primary school with

gender integrated in all policies

2. Act with urgency: 2005 gender parity target missed

3. Emphasize equity and inclusion, with consistent focus on gender

4. Increase public spending, and focus it better

5. Increase aid to basic education, and allocate where most needed

6. Move ECCE up national and international agendas

7. Increase public financing for ECCE, and target it

8. Upgrade the ECCE workforce: better training and pay, more

women in leadership positions

Clear progress but more effort is needed

35

Contact Information

EFA Global Monitoring Report Teamc/o UNESCO

7, place de Fontenoy75352 Paris 07

France

[email protected]

Documents

Strong foundations Early childhood care and education Cairo 12 November 2006 UNGEI meeting