At the inaugural meeting of the Education International (EI) Early Childhood Education (ECE) Network, participants delved into the critical challenges facing early childhood education in Africa, with a particular focus on Ghana. Discussions highlighted issues of access and equity, lack of robust ECE systems, curriculum and pedagogy challenges, infrastructure and resource limitations, teacher welfare, parent involvement, funding allocation, and child malnutrition. It became.
Network purpose and expectations
The ECE Network urges governments to address these challenges. Participants drew inspiration from other networks such as the African Young Educators Network and the African Research Network and reflected on the main objectives of the network. The goal is to share information, experiences and best practices and develop strategies to enhance ECE on global, regional and sub-regional policy challenges.
Dr Dennis Signoro, Director of Education International Africa (EIA), emphasized:
“The ECE sector is highly privatized and, according to UNESCO, sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest proportion of qualified primary school teachers, with only 57 trained to national standards. %, compared to 83% in African countries. For example, in Latin America and the Caribbean, we know that the quality of a country’s education system exceeds the level of its own education system. In particular, it is necessary to improve the professionalism and professionalism of teachers at the ECE level.
evidence-based advocacyThe network works to ensure the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 and remind governments that progress is too slow. The continent’s new strategic planning process, the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA), will be discussed, providing opportunities for trade unions to influence policy.
The network also aims to build evidence and stories to bring about change and support EI’s ‘Go Public!’ Education Fund Campaign.
Lasse Bjerg Jorgensen, Treasurer and International Director of the Danish Union of Early Childhood and Young People’s Educators (BUPL, Danish acronym), said: "Early childhood education remains the ‘underdog’ in the education system, with many people is often treated as such.” government”.
ILO/UNESCO policy guidelines for ECE personnel
Participants also discussed the ILO/UNESCO policy guidelines for ECE personnel, with a focus on early childhood education workers.
Oliver Liang, director of public and private services at the International Labor Organization (ILO), said: “Despite a decade of policy guidelines, we still need an additional 6 million children to reach the national standard for one year of pre-primary education. We need to hire more teachers.” Education by 2030.”
He said the guidelines are in line with larger norms for education personnel within the United Nations system, such as the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation on the Status of Teachers, the 2022 Tashkent Declaration, and the Commitment to Action to Transform Early Childhood Care and Education. It added that it was part of the structure. ILO 5R Framework for Decent Work (recognition, reduction and redistribution of unpaid care and remuneration and representation of care workers).
Participants were reminded of the purpose of the guidelines and the themes covered, including low wages, gender inequality, low levels of continuing professional development, low trade unionization rates, and high levels of privatization.
Recent developments and current challenges
The discussion also featured 59 recommendations from the United Nations High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession.
Lasse Bjerg Jorgensen said that “Advancing the Recommendations of the United Nations High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession – A Guide for Educational Unions” is “an excellent tool to support advocacy efforts in national and regional contexts.” reminded the person.
Gina Pancorvo, Research, Policy and Advocacy Coordinator at EI, said: “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the dire situation will primarily affect early childhood education from 2019 to 2024, with the need for teachers, education support and It has had an impact on staff, parents and the entire community.”
That is why the 10th World Congress of EI, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina from July 29 to August 2, 2024, adopted the resolution “Strengthening the status and quality of ECE after the COVID-19 pandemic”. she explained.
Main recommendations
Participants identified key issues, working conditions and the importance of gender equality. Leaders emphasized the need to mobilize resources with the ILO and UNESCO and to engage in dialogue with governments based on the High-Level Panel’s recommendations and ILO guidelines.
Dennis Signoro concludes: “As a network, we need clear goals that define what we want to achieve. Second, we need SMART (Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic, Time-bound) goals. We must ensure that we have a negotiated policy on ECE.”
Network for the future
The ECE Network aims to share experiences, develop strategies to influence policy and remind governments of the importance of early childhood education. The participants concluded that this conference was just the beginning of a new push for ECE in Africa and hoped that this network would become a shared platform for all.
