The Status of Early Childhood Care and Education

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The Status of Early Childhood Care and Education

• By
• Tirussew Teferra et al.

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Objectives of Research Project

• Identify relevant policy issues on early
  childhood care, education and development in
  Ethiopia.
• Identify the current status of Early Childhood
  Education in Ethiopia in terms of resources,
  practices, strengths, and weaknesses.
•  
• Introduce cost-effective and cultural sensitive
  strategies of promoting early childhood care and
  education towards achieving the Millennium
  Development Goals.
• Propose a framework of early childhood care and
  education having implications for policy
  development.

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Research Method

• Desk Research
• Consulting literature focusing on available
  local literature and policy documents on ECCE in
  Ethiopia
• Field Survey
• Conducting a study to map-out the conditions of
  early childhood care and education across regions

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Survey Sites Data Sources

• All the 11 Regional States
• Addis Ababa, Oromiya, Amhara, Tigray, Afar,
  Somali, Harari, Drie Dawa, Benishangul-Gumuz,
  Gambela and SNNP
• Data Sources
• Regional bureau
• Experts and supervisors (FGDs)
• ECCE Teacher training Institutes
• Heads and teachers (FGDs)
• Early Childhood Care and Education (65 centers)
• Directors (36)
• Teachers (250)
• Parents (222)

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Instruments of data ollection

• Questionnaire
• Focus Group Discussion
• Interview
• Participant Observation

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Findings

• Desk Research Study
• Studies in early childhood care and education are
  scanty and fragmented
• The importance of early childhood care and
  education was well pronounced back in the early
  17th Ethiopian philosophers
• Policy analysis
• Education and training policy
• Health policy
• Social policy
• Family code policies and
• the Ethiopian constitution

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Survey Result

• Early child care and upbringing practices
• Harmful practices
• Milk teeth extraction, uvuloctomy, tonsillectomy,
  female genital mutilation, mutilation of the skin
  in the forehead and eyebrow of their babies.
• Prevalence of corporal punishment at home and
  in schools
• Employing approaches such as yelling
  ,deploring, cursing, terrifying chastising for
  shaping childrens behaviors
• In most of the Ethiopian cultures, young children
  are not encouraged to discuss with adults even
  about their own matters.
• Limited role of fathers in in early child
  care

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Survey Result cont

• Useful practices
• Breastfeeding is widely practice even during
  the time of toddlerhood
• Strong emotional attachment/physical contact
  with the mother
• The involvement of the neighborhood in child
  care
• Availability of stories, games and indigenous
  story telling-playing skills .
• The role of the extended family in sharing
  child care
• Prevalence of useful/educative proverbs for
  early care and education

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Survey Result cont

• Early Childhood Education (ECE)
• Types ECE
• Private (middle and upper class families )
• Public ( middle class families)
• Faith-based ( middle and upper class families )
• NGO-based (low income families orphans)
• Community-based (middle class)
• Accessibility location
• 2.7 of the age cohort have accesses
• Children with disabilities dont have access
• Urban based most of them are expensive

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Survey Result cont

• Nature of Teaching-Learning in ECEs
• Curriculum (reading, writing, adding ,
  counting etc.l ack of standard guide line)
• Teaching methodology ( teacher centered, play p
  
• Second language (undermines mother tongue)
• Teaching-learning materials (England, India,
  Kenya etc.)
• Teachers profile (diversified)

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Survey Result cont

• ECCE Teacher Training Institutes
• Profiles of trainers
• Quality of training
• Graduates employability salary
• Career track development opportunity

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Implications of the Study

• Suggested a holistic policy framework of Early
  Childhood Care and Education in Ethiopia., which
  among others focuses on
• Integrated efforts by sector ministries
  including Education, Health, Labor Social
  Affairs , Ministry of Women Affairs.
• The set-up ECCE- Integrated National Office at
  National, Regional and District "Woreda" levels.
• ECCE program that addresses the cognitive,
  psychosocial, cognitive health and safety of
  young children.

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Specific recommendations

• The Ministry of Education should coordinate
  operational standards and ensures that every
  child has the opportunity to have access to early
  childhood education before he or she joins formal
  education. In order to realize this the
  following measures are suggested
• Open early childhood education programs under
  the premises of all the primary school s
  across regions compounds .
• Encourage and support the community to open
  or reopen Kebele-level preschools .
• Neighbourhood Childcare Centres (NCC) rural
  areas.
• Undertaking to collect, document and disseminate
  the indigenous useful practices of educating and
  caring young children. As well as augment the
  absence of culturally relevant storybooks,
  children games, etc in our preschools

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• Todays investment in children is tomorrows
  peace, stability, security, democracy and
  sustainable development
• Africa Fit for Children, May 2001
• Thank you !!