Early Childhood Care and Education Digest Nigeria 2007 D I G E S T. for E C C E. S t a k e h o l d e r s

Transcription

1 Early Childhood Care and Education Digest Nigeria 2007 D I G E S T for E C C E S t a k e h o l d e r s

2 1 The analysis and policy recommendations of this DIGEST do not necessarily reflect the views of UNESCO. It however, incorporates Nigerian ECCE status as at 2006 with data reported to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) upon which the 2007 EFA Global Monitoring Report was prepared. The DIGEST is an independent publication commissioned by UNESCO. UNESCO Abuja March Contact: National Programme Officer Education Sector UNESCO UN House Abuja Tel: abuja@unesco.org

3 2 Background Information The 2007 Global Monitoring Report (GMR) is funded by nine (9) bilateral donors, and particularly directed at disseminating progress towards the attainment of education for all (EFA) goal one (1), which calls upon countries to expand and improve comprehensive early childhood care and education (ECCE). It underscores the critical essence of integrating ECCE with Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 2 1 and 4 2, in order to improve children s present wellbeing and future development. According to the Director General of UNESCO, Dr. Koichiro Matsuura, the findings of the 2007 EFA GMR remind us there is no place for complacency. We have a collective responsibility to ensure quality education for all, a responsibility that begins by providing strong foundations for children in the first years of life and continues through adulthood. The DIGEST is an initiative of UNESCO Nigeria to complement the 2007 EFA GMR by highlighting current status of ECCE programme implementation in Nigeria and creating awareness among stakeholders on where we stand in the comity of Nations. What EFA goals imply The six (6) Dakar World Education Forum EFA goals collectively imply comprehensiveness, equity, equality and quality of education for all, while goal one specifically ensures the child s strong early childhood foundations including good health, nutrition and a nurturing (that is, a caring and stimulating) environment for a smooth transition to primary school, better chance of completing basic education and a route out of poverty and disadvantage. Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Historically, ECCE, like EFA more generally, is both a Right and a major contributor to development and poverty reduction. For instance, the legal and political commitments reflected by - i) the 1989 Convention on the Right of the child which is directed at guaranteeing the right of the young to survive, develop and be protected, ii) the 1990 World Declaration on EFA which stated that learning begins at birth in encouraging the development of ECCE, iii) the World Education Forum at Dakar in 2000 which reaffirmed the importance of ECCE in reaching basic education goals, and iv) the UN Special Session on Children in all show 1 MDG 2: Achieve universal primary education. 2 MDG 4: Reduce child mortality.

4 3 recognition that children are born with the right to have their learning needs met through approaches that promote their holistic development. There is no universal model of early childhood provision that can be followed globally. However, good quality ECCE builds on a nation s own experiences while drawing on and adapting lessons learned by others. Strong ECCE programmes share some characteristics such as Focusing on and offering support to parents during children s earliest years; Integrating educational activities with other services, notably health care, nutrition and social services; and Providing relevant educational experiences during the pre-school years and easing the transition into primary school. Progress in ECCE Since 1953, UNESCO has encouraged mother tongue instruction in early childhood and primary education. Nevertheless, monolingualism in the official or dominant language is still the norm around the world. A challenge facing most ECCE programmes therefore, is to respond to the needs of linguistically and culturally diverse children and their families. With respect to offering support to parents, a number of developing countries including Ghana, Uganda, Zambia and Nigeria have introduced micro-credit facilities for poverty alleviation as well as leveraging resources for ECCE. About 80% of developing countries also have some form of legally established maternity leave although enforcement varies. The approach of integrating interventions in children has become popular around the globe to the extent that nations including Nigeria are introducing policies which underscore Integrated Early Childhood Development (IECD) and management which involve all stakeholders and service providers at all levels federal, state, local governments and communities. With respect to providing relevant educational experiences during the pre-school years and easing the transition into primary school, most regions of the world are near gender parity in pre-primary education, while more than fifty percent of the world s countries run at least one formal ECCE programme for children under 3 years. On the global front, pre-primary enrolment increased sharply, particularly in sub-saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and South and West Asia

5 4 Figure 1: Weighted Average Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Pre-Primary Education GER in Pre-Primary Education G E R in % World Average Countries in Transition De ve lope d Countries Developing Countries Nigeria 2004 GER in Pre-Primary Education Note: With 15% enrolment in ECCE, Nigeria is below average enrolment among Developing Countries (32%) Source: Adapted from Table 3B 2007 GMR page 252 Figure II: Gross Enrolment Ratio in Pre-Primary Education Across Regions of the World and Nigeria Arab States 2-Central and Eastern Europe 3-Central Asia 4-East Asia 5-Pacific 6-Caribbean 7-Latin America 8-N.America & W.Europe 9-South West Asia 10-Sub-saharan Africa 11-Nigeria Source: Adapted from Table 3B 2007 GMR page 252 Note: While Sub-Saharan Africa region recorded the lowest average of 12% GER in ECCE among the ten(10) regions of the world, Nigeria with 15% ranked ways below Seychelles (102%), Mauritius (95%), Kenya (53%), Cape Verde (53%) and Ghana (42%) in the same region. Figures I & II connote a tone of urgency to Nigeria to devote deserved attention to ECCE in policy, management and implementation for the sake of the Nigerian child and the country s future. With a 2015 target date for achieving the EFA goal 1, very little time is left for action. Current ECCE Status in Nigeria From its deliberations at Enugu in October 2006, the national Integrated Early Childhood Development (IECD) Consultative Committee meetings of

6 5 relevant parastatals, representatives from the six geo-political zones, institutions of higher learning, NGOs, CBOs and International Development Partners observed that: Federal, State and Local Governments are showing increasing commitment to IECD programmes, Communities and private service providers and operators are also embracing the programme with increased enthusiasm, leading to an increase in the number of ECC centres and enrolment of children especially that of the girl child, and With a sustained commitment by all stakeholders, the EFA goals and MDGs would become attainable by 2015 In addition, the meeting observed some challenges some of which are as follows: the low level funding of 5% Universal Basic Education matching grant meant for pre- primary education of children aged 3-5 years even as this group constitutes a significant proportion of Nigeria s population and is also its vulnerable segment, the low level of knowledge and skills of personnel handling children at this critical stage of development, and is particularly disturbed about the possible damage that this may cause if left unchecked, the harsh, difficult, and unfriendly environment in which children learn as well as its hindrance to the optimal physical, social and psychological development of the child. Nigeria s transmission from ECCE practice to policy has embraced both integrated and stand-alone approaches, thus The National Policy on Education (2004) specified nursery education for age 3-5 years as part of existing primary school facilities The Universal Basic Education Act of 2004 also includes ECCD A stand-alone national intersectoral Policy for Integrated Early Childhood Development (IECD) has been developed and approved by the 2006 meeting of the National Council on Education (NCE) to guide intersectoral interventions on childhood development for ages 0-5years. To assure a conducive environment for IECD implementation in Nigeria the NERDC with support from other stakeholders developed the following essential IECD tools:

7 6 A national Minimum Standards for ECC Centres in Nigeria (2005), to streamline the various categories of facilities and operations in ECCE, A national Integrated Early Childhood Education Curriculum for ages 0-5years (2005), which took the right-based and life-cycle approach as well as made special provisions for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs) and HIV/AIDS orphans and/or those living with the HIV virus, A national Caregivers Manual for ages 0-5years (2006), in which the roles and skills required for caring and stimulating the 0-3 and 3-5 age cohorts of children are fully discussed, in the official language and major mother tongues to ensure grassroots applicability as well as capture the benefits of multilingual education, A national Manual for Local Toy Making (2007), to facilitate easy access and availability, and Strategy for IECD implementation and monitoring through National, State and Local government IECD Consultative Committees of intersectoral stakeholders Proposed establishment of Schools for ECCE in the nation s Colleges of Education would further strengthen pre-service training and provision of human capital for ECCE delivery in Nigeria Proposed massive IECD Advocacy campaigns and Capacity Building for parents and Caregivers in 2007 have been adopted to further ensure community sensitisation towards the survival, growth, early stimulation and learning for Nigerians aged 0-5 years, to achieve head start for children enrolling into the nation s compulsory 9-year Universal Basic Education Programme for the achievement of the EFA goal. Guarantee of a 5% of the federal intervention funds for UBE for ECCE delivery in the states International Development Partners (IDPs) Contribution to ECCE in Nigeria. In the last five years, the Nigerian efforts towards ECCE delivery have received support from a number of agencies including UNESCO, UNICEF, WHO and USAID. These supports have yielded among others the following: 1. Report of a National Case Study on The Delivery of Early Childhood Services in Nigeria ; UNESCO, (2004) in which the attendance of under 5 year-olds was reported to be low nationwide inspite of the provision for ECC/Primary school linkage in all schools, and that there was a major geographical disparity in access between urban(37%) and rural(12%) areas as well as between north(3.5%) and south(40%).

8 7 2. Report of Survey of Day care Centres/Nursery Schools in Nigeria ; NCCE, (2006) which revealed that 80% of the 6,831 centres visited in 33 states were privately owned, in which fees (ranging from N11.00 N5,833 per term) were charged and about 100 children per centre were in attendance, 3. Surveys supported within the FGN/UNICEF Master Plan of Operations, as follows: Inventorisation of ECC practices and facilities across the country in 2003 Key House Hold Practices (KHHP) across Nigeria in 2003 Communiqué from the National IECD Consultative Committee Meeting, Bearing in mind the challenges reported at the meeting, the forum made the following recommendations; Public, private and service providers/operators of IECD programmes should ensure that they patently infuse and mirror the value-orientation component of National Economic Empowerment & Development Strategy (NEEDS)/SEEDS/LEEDS; Parental Education should be supported by all stakeholders so as to improve the early stimulation of children 0-3 years; Lead Agency for IECD implementation such as NERDC should mobilize local/international support to strengthen capacity of IECD operators and caregivers (parents, teachers, siblings etc) through information sharing, educational visits, training and workshops The Federal and State Inspectorate Services are to ensure that all IECD centres adhere strictly to the Minimum Standards- i.e. for ECC centres, IECD curriculum, and Caregivers Manual; All stakeholders should make every effort to further increase enrolment, retention and easy transition to primary school while the production and distribution of culturally appropriate stimulation materials should be built up; In Conclusion: the urgent Targets for ECCE in Nigeria In view of the fact that early childhood years set the foundation for life, Federal, States and Local governments should recognise ECCE as a fundamental human right for both privileged and underprivileged children. Consequently, all governments and communities should establish special centres for all Nigerian children to be nurtured free of charge between ages 0-5 years to complement the roles of parents and other child caregivers;

9 8 Governments should accept that the survival of the Nigerian child and future generations is in an efficient ECCE which must be invested on; Inter-ministerial forum of stakeholders from relevant ministries including that of education, health, women affairs, and social services sectors should meet urgently to confirm its acceptance of the entire pre-school years 0-5 for ECCE, own the national IECD Policy and promote intersectoral interventions on the Nigerian child; Partnering with international and local donor agencies to achieve massive dissemination of minimum standards for ECC centres, IECD curriculum, Caregivers Manual, Toy making manual and toys would ensure qualitative ECCE delivery in Nigeria Aligning ECCE policy with other national and sectoral development policies like NEEDS and NAPEP would leverage resources and promote ECCE integration. References 1. UNESCO, 2007: EFA Global Monitoring Report, Strong foundations; early childhood care and education. 2. UNESCO, 2006: Literacy for life 3. UNESCO, 2004: Report of a National Case Study on the Delivery of Early Childhood Services in Nigeria; an E9 Initiative 4. NERDC, 2004: National IECD Curriculum for ages FGN, 2006: IECD Policy 6. FGN, 2004 Universal Basic Education Act. 7. NCCE, 2006 : National Survey of Early Child Care Centres in Nigeria BLURB ECCE-a holistic package encompassing care, health and nutrition in addition to education for children from birth to pre-school age of 5 years; and in which Government support and publicprivate sector partnerships and commitment are encouraged would sustain an expanded and improved early stimulation and learning for all Nigerian children by the year 2015.

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