Background A study done by the EU in 2009 indicates that only 21.6% of Swaziland’s children access some form of preschool education prior to entering the formal system.1 Early childhood development and education (ECDE) is a growing priority of the Government of Swaziland (GoS), but much remains to be done, particularly to uphold minimum standards of ECDE at National Care Points (NCPs) and community pre-schools in Swaziland.

NCPs and community pre-schools have begun to meet an urgent need for education, care and support for pre-school aged children, which aligns with GoS priorities for basic education and increased access to early childhood education for children. However, because these institutions have emerged on an ad hoc basis and without strategic government involvement or resources, the quality of the education and services they provide varies widely. NCPs and community pre-schools face a number of significant challenges, including:

• A lack of pre-required qualifications for working in pre-schools or NCPs: staff currently employed as teachers are typically primary school graduates or even primary school drop-outs, which makes it challenging for them to enrol in formal training programs.

• Teachers in rural areas are extremely removed from current ECDE sector developments and best practices, and thus cannot access information and resources that could help improve their skills.

• Some stakeholders have expressed an impression that NCPs are politically driven and thus cannot be subjected to regulation regarding compliance with education standards.

• NCPs are nearly 100% volunteer-staffed; if NCP teachers do receive training, they tend to migrate to community pre-schools where they can obtain a stipend.

• ECDE centers in resource-poor areas struggle to obtain even the most basic learning aids and materials.

• There is a severe lack of community and parent involvement in and ownership of NCPs and community preschools and of community understanding/engagement as to the importance of quality ECDE services for young children.

ApproachIn response to the gap in training for in-service ECDE teachers, and to build

community understanding of ECDE so they are able to hold NCPs and pre- schools accountable to minimum standards, WEI/Bantwana in partnership with government and other stakeholders will initiatiate a program that will help improve the capacity of NCPs and community pre-schools in Swaziland to meet Swaziland’s minimum ECDE standards. Working closely with the GoS, and

community stakeholders, WEI/Bantwana will implement a scalable, replicable program that will achieve the following objectives:

• Work with MoETand other stakeholders in developing in-service pre-schoolteachers module for NCPs and community pre-schools

• Pilot an in-service training module for NCPs and community pre-schools

• Increase community awareness of and advocacy for adherence to minimum ECDE standards

• Support to ECDE centers with basic education teaching aids to help teachers in implementation of learned skills

Wayford• TRAINING OF MASTER TRAINERS

• Working with MoET and other stakeholders in development of National Syllabus in line to Swaziland Early Learning Standards.

• ADVOCATE, LOBBY AND SUPPORT INITIATIVES GEARED TOWARDS INTRODUCTION OF ECCE PROGRAMS IN TERTIARY EDUCATION

LINKING OF ECCE CENTRES WITH BANTWANA’S SCHOOL HEALTH OUTREACH PROGRAM (SHOP)

ENGAGE COMMUNITIES AROUND ECCE AND NUTRITION/LIVELIHOODS (e.g. BACKYARD GARDENS)

The Bantwana Initiative is a joint initiative of World Education and John Snow, Inc.

Results

Bantwana ECDE Programme Tackling Quality Education Through upgrading practicing teachers and pupil teaching aids.

Southern Africa Regional Conference on Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE), Pretoria, south Africa, 3 December 2013

ECDE

Health Screening

Health Referrals

Teacher Coaching

Teaching Aid

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