ARNEC’s ENGAGEMENT ON ECED INFLUENCING THE POST 2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA Junko Miyahara, & Baela Raza Jamil

Executive Director ARNEC Director Programs ITA /Friends of ARNEC

(junko.miyahara@arnec.net) (itacec@gmail.com)

http://www.arnec.net/

Right to Education & ECED:South Asian Perspectives Sept 16-17, Karachi

. WHAT IS ARNEC?

ARNEC The Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC) a professional network was established in 2008 to build strong partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region to advance the agenda on and investment in early childhood

An extensive and fast growing ECD network covering 47 countries and includes East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and the pacific sub-regions, as well as Central Asia  For creating a stronger and more dynamic ECD community by equipping ARNEC members with updated knowledge to help them become effective advocates for holistic and inclusive ECD.

ARNEC’s 5 Action Pillars • Advocacy for Policy Change: Support national partners

and members in their assessment and review of national early childhood policies, frameworks and implementation, and facilitate the exchange of models and tools from other contexts.

• Knowledge Generation: Facilitate the continuous analysis and synthesis of regional early childhood development (ECD) evidence and research.

• Information Management and Dissemination: Provide a platform for ECD professionals to share information and resources, ensuring these are easily accessible to all.

• Capacity Building: Provide opportunities for professional development and learning related to ECD through strategic ARNEC events, external outlets, and strengthen national networks through targeted technical support.

• Partnership Building: Build external partnerships and coalitions to create a supportive environment to leverage resources for ECD and ARNEC’s capacity to fulfill its mission

Compelling reasons for investing in 0-8 years

Global and Regional TrendsGross Enrolment Ratios in pre-primary education

Engagement with the Post 2015 Development Agenda

• Intensive process since 2012 at the ▫ Country- Regional- Global level

▫ Working with ARNEC members /supporters -multiplying voices strategically

▫ Time sensitive process - windows of opportunity

• Formal Architecture of engaging with and influencing the Post 2015 Development Agenda

Process of Influencing

• Engaging with the time line as announced by the UN Secretary Gen. 2012 – 2014

Speak about young children and ECD – Highlighting good practices Call for targets that cut across the framework

Post 2015 Global Agenda ProposalsEducation For All & Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals

Influencing Texts in Goals/Targets –seeking alignment between EFA and OWG

Progress: Asia-Pacific Region

• Steady increase in the number and quality of national ECCD policies/policy frameworks, many with increased inter-sectoral coordination efforts and mechanisms

• Some progress in increasing access to ECCD services for vulnerable and disadvantaged children

• Greater understanding in some countries about the definition and need for more holistic ECCD

• The development of comprehensive standards, regulations and guidelines, and training and capacity building linked to ECCD programmes

• A greater concern for the “quality imperative” – defining quality more precisely and analyzing caregiver-child ratios and interactions, parenting and community involvement, curriculum and teaching/learning approaches, assessment regimes, coordination among multiple actors, monitoring and evaluations, etc.

Situational Analysis for Global ECCD Report (preliminary draft) by Consultative Group on ECCD, 2014

Challenges: Asia-Pacific Region

• The need for common understanding of the fundamental principles of ECCD• The lack of adequate training, certification and incentives for practitioners• The lack of adequate attention to marginalised/disadvantaged groups (those in

remote areas, minorities and indigenous communities, children with disabilities and living in extreme poverty, children in conflicts and disaster situations, etc)

• Weak coordination mechanisms between sectors (esp. for services for children aged 0-3 years)

• Lack of focus on holistic ECCD in support programmes for parents/other caregivers

• Negligible public funding for ECCD, financial constraints on families, and the sound costing and financial planning measures for effective programmes in terms of specific delivery models, proposed outcomes and targets, and the resource available and needed to achieve these

• The lack of clear standardized outcome indicators and measures and relevant assessment tools and mechanisms, especially beyond education to include issues such as physical health and motor development, social and emotional development, moral and spiritual development, creativity and problem solving skills, and language development

Challenges … • Inadequate monitoring and evaluation of ECCD policies and

progammes based on clear definitions and standards, indicators and measures needed for ‘quality’ programming

• Poor governance and the lack of stakeholder participation leading to fragmented planning and implementation of programmes

• The open rapid expansion of private ECCD services with inadequate regulation and supervision

• The lack of relevant and accurate data especially in regard to vulnerable groups, or if available, the lack of harmony among data from different sectors and agencies

• The lack of systemic linkage between ECCD/pre-primary education and the primary school curriculum and teaching methods, especially child-friendly environments in the early years, and integrated curriculum framework and teacher training for pre-primart and early grades, and the use of mother tongue for initial literacy

• The lack of preparedness for ECCD provision in situations of emergencies, disasters and conflicts

Numeracy & mathematics

Social & emotional

Literacy & communication

Culture & the arts

Physical well-being

Learning approaches & cognition

Science & technology

Multiple Dimensions of Learning and Assessment An Opportunity to Influence - Age focus = ECE 3-5 /8years

Learning Metrics Taskforce –LMTF Round 2

ARNEC: What is next?Proposed areas for case studies

•Innovations in service delivery to reach the most marginalised▫ e.g. proactive engagement with other sectors to provide

integrated ECD services; multi-grade education; mother tongue instruction

▫ Special attention to in terms of marginalisation: disabilities, conflict and emergencies, and gender (including issues of socialization, fathers’ involvement, boys’ school dropout)

•Innovations in financing and partnerships ▫ Costing and financing▫ Public-private partnership

ARNEC: What is next?Proposed areas for case studies (cont’d)

•Innovative pedagogies ▫ e.g. collaborative learning, creativity, use of ICTs▫ Special attention to adult-child interactions and enabling

learning contexts and environment

•Innovations in promoting holistic development and learning outcomes ▫ Non-cognitive skills, global citizenship▫ Holistic learning and development, outcome standards

(e.g. early learning and development standards, and EAP-ECD Scales)

ARNEC's annual Conference theme 2014  'ECD ON THE GLOBAL AGENDA: BUILDING

PARTNERSHIPS FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND HARMONY' To keep the momentum going and to put ECD at the heart of post-2015 Global Development Agenda, ARNEC will keep on advocating in 2014 to ensure ECD is placed on the post-2015 global agenda. Annual theme 2014 is therefore, 

´ECD on the global agenda: Building Partnerships for sustainability and harmony.´

December 3-5 2014 Manila – Phillipines