| |
|
 |
Early childhood care, education
almost nonexistent: MoE |
 |
| |
ADDIS
ABABA(November 25, 2009)- Early Childhood Care and
Education (ECCE) is one of the most neglected areas in Ethiopia, a
study from the Ministry of Education (MoE) indicated. Considerable
investment is needed in order to ensure that all children have a healthy
start in life, are nurtured in a safe, caring and stimulating environment
and can develop to their fullest potential.
The early childhood education enrolment rate in 2006/2007 is about
3 percent, nationally a negligible figure. In the last few years,
the private sector in the urban centers has shown a growing interest
in investing in early childhood education, particularly in Addis Ababa.
This opportunity, however, is only accessible for the very few children
coming from well-to-do families, said Yacob Habte, from the Ministry
of Education (MoE) at the ECCE Policy Framework and Strategic Operational
Plan Validation Workshop (24-25 November 2009) opened on Tuesday at
Ghion Hotel here.
The two days workshop discusses on the last draft of the National
Policy Framework for ECCE to address the longstanding need of its
citizens with regard to early childhood care and education. ECCE refers
to a comprehensive approach to policies and programmes for children
from birth to seven years of age, their parents and caregivers.
In the policy framework it is proposed to build ECCE service delivery
on four pillars including: Parental Education, Health and Early Stimulation
Program (Birth to 3+ years), Pre-schools: community-based kindergartens
(4 - 6+ years), and a community-based Non-formal school readiness.
According to Yacob, "The policy framework document is the result
of a consultative process and lays the foundation for a comprehensive
and feasible development of ECCE in Ethiopia.
The implementation of this policy will ensure a big step foreword
in giving children in Ethiopia a healthy start in life, an enabling
and stimulating environment for developing their talents and stimulate
and help them to become caring and productive citizens."
Children constitute a large section of the Ethiopian population. Over
45 percent of the currently estimated seventy four million population
i.e., more than 33 million below fifteen. However, like in other developing
countries, children's access to resources is restricted; opportunities
for educational training, health, adequate nutrition, recreation,
etc are highly limited; and a considerable part of the child population
is exposed to different fonts of exploitation and abuse, hindering
the full realization of their potentialities, Yacob said.
In the human life cycle, the early childhood period is a critical
period that requires due attention and a great deal of investment.
Failing to provide children at this stage of development with better
nutrition, health care and education deprives them of their right
to develop as productive citizens, enjoy a better quality of life
and eventually contribute to society's growth, he added.
Participants from the Ministry of Education (MoE), Ministry of Finance
and Economic Development (MoFED), Ministry of Women Affairs (MoWA),
representatives from regional health bureaus, education bureaus, UNICEF,
NGO's and invited guests attended the workshop. |
| |
|
