The Early Childhood Development (ECD) Policy

Abstract

1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background A key initiative of Government since 1986 has been the promotion of education as a strategic means towards poverty eradication and ultimate societal development. This is incorporated in the Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP). Thus the setting up of the Education Policy Review Commission (EPRC) in 1987 and its subsequent Report of 1989 was the first milestone followed by the Government White Paper (GWP) 1992. The two documents strongly recommended, among other things, the attainment of Universal Primary Education (UPE) in Uganda and recognized the need for Government to undertake some measures of control and responsibility for the quality of Pre-primary education and progressively work towards full supervision of Pre-Primary Education (PPE). 1.2 The aims and objectives of Pre-primary Education The aims and objectives of Pre-Primary Education in Uganda, which are laid out in GWP are basically to: a) Develop the child's capabilities, healthy physical growth, good social habits, moral values, imagination, self-reliance, thinking power, appreciation of cultural backgrounds, customs, language and communication skills in the mother tongue, and, b) Emphasize the development of a feeling of love and care for other people and Uganda as a whole. Government has already made massive investments in Universal Primary Education and it is fitting that policy stretches to cover Early Childhood Development (ECD) which forms the basis for the sustainability of UPE and life long learning. ECD to date is largely in the hands of the private sector with no overarching policy to govern and guide the sub-sector. It is against this background that the Education and Sports Sector developed a national policy on ECD. 1.3 Definition of Early Childhood Development ECD is a process through which the young children grow and thrive physically, mentally, socially, emotionally and morally. It begins. from conception and extends up to 8 years of age. This involves a set of actions and behaviors that support a child's development in a holistic manner including: feeding; providing clothing: shelter and supervision; preventing and attending to illnesses; engaging the child in interaction; providing stimulation and safe environment for play and exploration; providing love; affection and security; and enabling the development of self-esteem and self confidence. 1.4 Rationale for the ECD Policy The purpose of the ECD Policy is to provide guidance for optimal holistic development of healthy and productive children between 0-8 years in Uganda, as an essential resource for national development, as well as enhance partnerships that promote holistic approaches to early childhood development and effective learning/teaching processes appropriate to that age group. There are various reasons why the Education and Sports Sector needed to develop a formal policy on ECD and these include the following: a) The Constitution of the Republic of Uganda which guarantees the rights of children in Article 34, states that a child is entitled to basic education, which is the responsibility of the state and the parents of the child, b) The Convention on the Rights of the Child and policy instruments like the Children's Statute (1996) and Children's Act (2004), articulate children's rights and the need to adhere to them, c) In the Dakar Framework of Action adopted by the World Education Forum, Uganda, among other participants, committed herself to attain the goals pertaining to the child with emphasis on expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children. This policy therefore is geared towards the fulfillment of the Education For All (EFA) targets and Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) and, d) The Uganda Vision 2025 implicitly focuses on providing specialized education and training programs for the disadvantaged, vulnerable groups and gifted children as well as improving the quality and standards of teacher training. 1.5 Guiding Principles of the Policy ECD is a multi-sectoral process that calls for adopting an expanded vision of a policy framework in which ownership, execution and management of the ECD policy and programs are shared among all the key stakeholders in a holistic manner. The policy advocates for effective public-private partnership and networking because service delivery involves various stakeholders at all levels:- family, community and government level. The policy is embedded in the guiding principle of enhancing equitable access to ECD services for all children in Uganda. Another guiding principal is harmonization of quality of ECD services across the board in the country. 1.6 Benefits of the Policy It is envisaged that the benefits of this policy will be; a) Creation of an enabling environment which can support the child's optimal development, mastery of more complex levels of thinking, feeling and interacting with people and objects in the environment through fostering partnerships with the private sector, b) Enhancement of the learning process for acquiring knowledge, skills, good habits and values through experimentation, observation, reflection and play. c) Enhancement of capacity building of families and communities as key stakeholders in early childhood development and stimulating social mobilization, Perpetuation of the national heritage, cultural, moral and spiritual values in society through children as the future of the nation. e) Promotion of sectoral partnerships through linkages between Education, Health and Nutrition, Gender, Water and Sanitation, in support of ECD, f) Ultimate reduction of wastage in UPE program by reducing incidences of repetition, enrolment and dropout of under aged children in Primary One classes, and, g) Assurance of national standards, co-ordination, regulation, direction, mentoring, monitoring and evaluation in ECD.