Rethinking National ECE Policy in Kyrgyzstan

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• Rethinking National ECE Policy in Kyrgyzstan
• Seeds of Change Effective Investments in Early
  Childhood for Enduring Social Progress
• Hugh McLean, Nurbek Teleshaliyev, Saltanat
  Builasheva

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Kyrgyzstan quick overview

• Landlocked country situated in the Southern-East
  part of Central Asia. Borders with China and
  Tajikistan in the South, Kazakhstan in the North,
  and Uzbekistan in the East
• Total Population 5 244 300
• Child Population 1 935 900
• Children as proportion of total population 37
• More than 90 ethnic groups
• Remittances USD 752 million (2005). 1/3 of
  families supported through remittances
• GDP per capita 26.7 thousand KGS (about USD
  763)
• (National Statistical Committee)

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Net Enrolment in Pre-primary Education 1989-2003
CIS Region
Source GMR, 2007
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Because of poverty, stunting and lack of
preschool experience, 1 in 4 young children are
not reaching their developmental
potentialPatrice Engle, Loss of Developmental
Potential in CEE/CIS, UNICEF, 2009

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Source UNICEF
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Disparities in family support create unfair
opportunity gaps in child growth and development
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Percentage of children attending state pre-school
in Kyrgyzstan
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Those with the most to gain from ECD are least
likely to participate
Source UNICEF 2007
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Combined effects on children over time
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Total percent of GDP lost due to stunting,
poverty, and not attending preschool
Combined effects on economy over time
Tajikistan
Kyrgyzstan
Source P Engle,2009
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• Piloting helps to get evidence based data and
  generate new knowledge for further influence on
  the national policy level

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NO WOLVES ALONG THE WAY TOWARDS A NATIONAL EARLY
CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT MODEL FOR KYRGYZSTAN
UNICEFS PILOT INTERVENTIONS IN BATKEN RAION
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Resource logics for a shift system Hugh McLean,
Rahat Orozova, Evaluation Report of UNICEFs
intervention in Batken
lt
160
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Innovative approaches can bring positive changes
in real childrens life

• .as a result coverage by early childhood
  education in the remote village Janybak of Batken
  province reached more then 90!!!!
• The challenge is to ensure those 10 of
  invisible children enjoy the services as well

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TOWARDS INDIGENOUS, OPTIMAL MODELS FOR ECE
4 Optimality Dimensions Quality(aim for
high) Duration(24 36 ??? months) Intensity(2
3 ??? hours) Frequency(2 3 ??? times/ week)
2yrs
L
M
H
1yr
3yrs
(Low Medium High)
(How many years)
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Variety in provision and of providers, other
examples

• Standard full-day kindergarten
• Seasonal kindergartens
• Centres and satellite projects
• Pre-school class in school
• Home-based programs
• Mobile - Yurt kindergartens
• Magic Journey. Locally produced animation

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• DVD-disks have been distributed

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• Progress towards equitable education can act as a
  powerful catalyst for progress in other areas,
  including public health, poverty reduction,
  gender equality, participation and
  democratization.
• Overcoming Inequality Why Governance Matters.
  EFA GMR, 2009

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Key policy implications

• Universal provision of nutrition programmes for
  young children combined with education to parents
• Provision of programs for early learning (0-3)
  and school readiness (3-6) starting from those
  who are most in need
• Special support and inclusion for children with
  education special needs

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Policy makers need to know the optimal balance
between costs (for inputs) and outcomes.

• Research should explore
• What it takes to ensure quality
• What the minimum duration is for a program to
  make a difference for vulnerable children
• How many times a week are optimal, (frequency)
  and how the curriculum should be set and adjusted
• The most effective methods for teaching and
  effective plans for each lesson (intensity)

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Resourcing provision

• Fast Track Initiative to emphasize Early
  Childhood Education
• International donors to work with government and
  local communities
• Targeting and efficient use of government
  resources with modest but steady increases

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Strategy for the pre-primary participation rates
expedited through FTI
Rates in case of a shift-based system
(allow extending coverage by at least 50 )
Pre-school education services provided on a
community basis (building up on the existing
models) Coverage improved through the
existing state kindergartens (in accordance with
the inventory of premises as drawn up during the
Year II). Coverage improved
through the existing state kindergartens that
have available unused rooms (in accordance with
the inventory of premises as drawn up during the
Year I).
Year I
Year II
Year III
FTI Finance
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Rethinking Early Childhood Care and Education

• Investment in young children matters for each
  child and for society as a whole
• The current state pre-school system targets the
  wrong children
• We should start with those children who are in
  most need
• Linked but separate strategies for care and
  education under overall national policy
• National policy on children must actively enable
  variety in provision and of providers