Getting to know Your International Contacts-Part 3

I decided this week to explore the UNESCO’s- “Early Childhood Care and Education” website (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/) this week.   This is a wonderful website offering lots of great information about early childhood education around the world.  I explored the Access, Quality and Investment links.  One of my goals is to continue to be aware of issues and trends in early childhood and the work being done in early childhood around the world.

Under the Access  link:   Here I read an article about Vietnam’s Early Childhood Policy which was very interesting.  Here are few highlights:

•  Early childhood in Vietnam focuses on children from 0-5 years
•  Children start school at the age of 6
• 0-2 year old early learning is referred to a Creches
• 3-5 year old early learning is referred to as kindergarten
• 5 year olds early learning is referred to as pre-primary education
• Within Vietnam there are four types of services for early childhood:  State, semi-state, people-founded, and private services. 
• The Ministry of Education and Training is responsible for all early childhood age groups
• In 2002, Decision NO. 161 was made to improve access in the most disadvantaged areas
• The state investment in early childhood has been successful thus far.

Under the Quality Link, I read about early childhood in Papa New Guinea

Here are a few highlights from this policy brief:

·  

•    Papa New Guinea is the world’s most linguistically diverse nation
•  Has established a bilingual education policy
• Originally Papa New Guinea education was English only
• The Education Reform focused on improving educational access, quality, and equity
• Changes brought about by a non-formal community based vernacular language preschool movement spread in Papa New Guinea
• The movement guided the nation to offer learning programs in the child’s first language
• Changes  included vernacular language education in the early years
• The other change was to implement a gradual transition to implement the use of English as one of the languages of instruction
• Rationale:  Offering education experiences in the child’s first language prepares the child to transfer learning of skills in their own language to learning English
• Discovered that children who attended the vernacular preschools experienced educational advantages compared to children who had not attended.  Primary teachers noticed how transitioning to school was much easier for children who had attended preschool

Under the Investment link, I read about Morocco’s Preschool reform.

Here are some highlights:

• In Morocco, preschool education is for 4 and 5 year olds
•  Services for children under 4 do not exist
• A new law was passed in 2000 to leave pre-school in the private sector
• The new law is the government’s recognition that preschool is a unique level of education
• Nearly 100% of preschools in Morocco are private
• The focus is on regulation, training and pedagogical innovations and an incentive system
• The incentive system included opening new preschools, tax benefits, and subsidies

I really enjoyed reading about early childhood in Vietnam, Papa New Guinea and Morocco.  I was surprised that early learning programs for children under four do not exist in Morocco.  I loved that in Papa New Guinea a group of like-minded individuals (teachers with minimal training) brought about changes to the language of instruction for children (very cool!)

References:

Encourage Private Sector: Preschool Education Reform in Morocco (UNESCO, Policy Brief No. 20, February 2004).  Retrieved December 19, 2011, from unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001374/137409e.pdf

 Papa New Guinea’s Vernacular Language Preschool Programme (UNESCO, Policy Brief No. 7, October 2002).  Retrieved December 19, 2011,      from  unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001373/137383e.pdf

Supporting the Poorest:  Vietnam’s Early Childhood Policy (UNESCO Policy Brief on Early Childhood No. 29, December 2005).  Retrieved December 19, 2011, from unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001425/142585e.pdf