Review Of The 2007 Education Sector Early Childhood Development Policy And Operational Standards

Abstract

The Ugandan Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) under the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) has contracted Cambridge Education (CE), which is the education arm of Mott MacDonald, to review the Ugandan education sector’s 2007 policy on Early Childhood Development (ECD). During the Inception Phase, it was agreed that the revised/updated Policy would be named an Early Childhood Care and Education Policy i.e. an ECCE Policy. As set out in the Problem Statement, there should ideally be a realistic ECCE policy in place, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals’ framework, which enables the education sector as a whole to provide better quality early child care and education opportunities for all Ugandan children under the age of 8, in an equitable and inclusive manner, using trained and qualified teachers. Currently in Uganda there is an education sector ECD policy (2007) which is ineffective because it is not funded; it is not aligned with the changing national and international policy environment; it is being provided predominantly by the private sector; it does not create conditions for full access to quality, equitable and inclusive ECCE services; and it is not usually delivered by qualified and skilled teachers. Therefore, the rationale for creating a costed ECCE Policy is that: • Government reports that it is already funding nearly 82,000 pre-primary children who are in P1 classes in UPE schools across the country. This is not an efficient use of funds as these children are not experiencing dedicated early childhood education that is appropriate for their cognitive development. International and national research indicates that targeted investment in good quality ECD would provide long term and substantial benefits for Uganda, with cost benefit analyses showing that for every Ugshs 1,000 spent on ECD the country would over time benefit by Ugshs 1,600. This is greater financial benefit than gained from investment in any other phase in the education cycle. At the same time the Ministry of Finance calculates that for every Ugshs 1,000 invested in UPE, Government loses Ugshs 600 because a majority of the children have not accessed pre-primary education prior to entering primary school. • Uganda has fallen behind other countries in the East African region in ECD delivery - particularly Kenya and Tanzania where respectively 53.5% and 35.5% of children access ECD services, compared to only 9.5% in Uganda in 2014 (ESSAPR, 2013/14). This means that Uganda is not meeting its declared intention to harmonise education provision with other East African countries as a signatory of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community (1999). • The National Development Plan (NDP 11) 2015/6 -2019/20 promotes public investment in ECCE, this and other developments since the publishing of the education sector ECD Policy in 2007, including the 2008 Education Act, the 2016 NIECD Policy, and Uganda Vision 2040, mean that there is need to update and align the Policy to meet the Ministry of Education and Sports emerging commitments. • The growth of ECCE provision and development of early childhood practices internationally, supported by the relevant Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 4), necessitates an appropriate policy response from Uganda, as signatory of the SDGs, that allows for broadened inclusive access to ECD services. • As proven by international research and referenced by the World Bank, there is increasing evidence that children who have experienced ECD when they are under 6 years old, are more likely to succeed later in their work and contribute positively to society and the economy.