Regional Consultation Forum - SEAMEO INNOTECH · 2 Regional Consultation Forum on Early Learning...

Regional Consultation Forum on Early Learning Frameworks, Policies and Programmes

A Completion Report

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Table of Contents

I. Introduction 1 Objectives 2 Participants 3 Photo Session 5

II. Proceedings of the Regional Consultation Forum 6 Day 1: March 28, 2011 6 Opening Ceremony 6 Welcome Remarks 7 Opening Message 8 Keynote Message 9 Plenary Sessions 10 Plenary 1: ECCE in Asia and the Pacific 10 Plenary 2: Improving the Quality of ECCE: The Global Experience 11 Plenary 3: Building Alliances for the Early Years 12 Thematic Sessions 16 Theme 1: Early Learning Curriculum Framework and Learning Standards 16 Theme 2: ECCD Teacher Qualification and Standards 22Day 2: March 29, 2011 26 Theme 3: Different Perspectives on Capacity Building for ECCD Workers 26 Theme 4: ECCD Assessment Methodologies 33 Theme 5: The Teaching and Learning Methodologies in ECCD 38 Theme 6: Governance and Financing of ECCD Programs in Southeast Asia 42Day 3: March 30, 2011 49 Health and ECCD 49 Workshop Discussion 50 Other Matters 53 Closing Ceremony 53 Social Support Services Provided to the Participants 53 Program Evaluation 54 Acknowledgements 54

ii Regional Consultation Forum on Early Learning Frameworks, Policies, and Programmes

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Part 1Introduction Learning begins at birth. This has been a key message since the Jomtien World Declaration on Education for All, and a continuing rally statement for many early childhood advocates. And yet, despite the explosion in recent years of knowledge, policies and programs on early childhood care and education, it continues to be “treated as the poor relative in education.” Millions of children under age five still fail to reach their fullest potentials because of poverty, malnutrition, poor health and inadequate care.

Innumerable studies have already established that early intervention is crucial. Investing in these early years is essential as a first step to realizing the promise of investments in the later years, particularly in primary and secondary schooling, and as a vital way to compensate for social and economic disadvantages. When countries invest in early childhood, they set the stage for learning and productivity through increased access to schooling, improved learning outcomes, and high returns in education.

As five years remain before the 2015 deadline for EFA, many countries and regional groups continue to devise ways to move the goals forward. The SEAMEO Council in its 45th Annual Conference held in January 2010, upheld their commitment to the goals of EFA, particularly in its first goal of expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the more vulnerable and disadvantaged children. In a policy forum convened during the meeting, the SEAMEO Council of Ministers shared their experiences on early

2 Regional Consultation Forum on Early Learning Frameworks, Policies, and Programmes

childhood care and education (ECCE) as they firmed up their recognition of the role and significance of ECCE in ensuring and improving quality basic education.

As a result of these discussions, the SEAMEO Council of Ministers had agreed to undertake a regional project, to be led by the Philippines, to address the different issues and operational concerns relating to provision of early childhood education. This includes the conduct of a Regional Consultation Forum on Early Learning Frameworks, Policies and Programs.

Objectives

The three-day Regional Consultation Forum on Early Learning Frameworks, Policies and Programs had the following objectives:

1. Expand the knowledge and information shared by the participants during the Policy Forum convened during the 45th SEAMEO Council Conference

2. Bring together, under a common framework, the various information, experiences and good practices from the eleven (11) Member States of SEAMEO

3. Identify the various key institutions and agencies in the different SEAMEO member countries

4. Identify the evolution of the programmes and policies relating to teaching and learning in the early years and the interfaces with the formal basic education cycle

5. Identify key areas of strength and areas for development, as well as identify gaps and developmental concerns at a regional context

6. Map out the next steps for individual countries as well as the regional bodies

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Participants

There were 17 participants representing nine (9) countries who attended the regional forum.

COUNTRY NAME INSTITUTIONBrunei Darussalam Dr. Asmah HJ Morni Ministry of Education

Ms. Pg Hajah Sarah Pg Haji Kamaluddin

Cambodia Ms. Meach Sobunna Ministry of Education, Youth and SportsMs. Yos Or Arun

Indonesia Mr. Nugroho Indera Warman Ministry of National Education

Dr. Fidesrinur, M. Pd. University of Al Azhar Indonesia

Lao PDR Mrs. Siphaphone Manivanh Ministry of EducationMs. Phetduangkhae Kiobmala

Malaysia Dr. Ng Soo Boon Ministry of Education

Philippines Ms. Simeona Ebol Department of EducationDr. Angelita M. Esdicul

Thailand Ms. Kornkamol Chuengsamran Office of the Education Council

Dr. Nichara Ruangdaraganon Mahidol University

Timor-Leste Mr. Domingos de Deus Maia Ministry of EducationMs. Abelina da Costa

Vietnam Ms. Lê Bích Ngoc Vietnam National Institute of Educational Sciences

Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Doan Thi Diem School


Some experts were also in attendance, namely:

NAME INSTITUTION1. Dr. Witaya Jeradechacul SEAMEO Secretariat2. Dr. Yolanda S. Quijano Department of Education (DepED)3. Mr. Jesus Lorenzo R. Mateo4. Dr. Teresa Aquino Oreta Early Childhood Care and

Development (ECCD) Council5. Dr. Teresita G. Inciong6. Dr. Erlinda C. Pefianco7. Ms. Junko Miyahara Asia Pacific Regional Network on

Early Childhood (ARNEC)8. Ms. Ma. Lourdes de Vera-Mateo UNICEF Philippines9. Dr. Chemba Raghavan UNICEF- East Asia and Pacific

Regional Office (EAPRO)10. Dr. Felicitas Pado University of the Philippines –

Diliman11. Dr. Estrella R. Agustin12. Dr. Emerita Garon Golden Values School13. Dr. Bella Monse Fit for School Inc.14. Prof. Victorina Pabalan Philippine Normal University

(See Annex A for the directory of the participants.)

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Photo Session

First Row (from L-R): Mr. Benito Benoza, Ms. Delia Ganaden, Dr. Teresita Inciong, Ms. Yos Or Arun, Ms. Siphaphone Manivanh,

Usec. Yolanda Quijano, Dr. Witaya Jeradechakul, Dr. Ramon C. Bacani, Dr. Teresa Aquino Oreta, Dr. Erlinda C. Pefianco, Mr.

Philip J. Purnell, and Ms. Ma. Lourdes de Vera-Mateo

Second Row (from L-R): Ms. Lê Bích Ngoc, Dr. Ethel Valenzuela, Dr. Emerita Garon, Dr. Nichara Ruangdaraganon, Ms. Meach

Sobunna, Ms. Phetduangkhae Kiobmala, Ms. Kornkamol Chuengsamran, Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong, Mr. Domingos de Deus Maia,

Dr. Asmah HJ Morni, and Ms. Sarah Kamaluddin

Third Row (from L-R): Ms. Elaissa Mendoza, Ms. Simeona Ebol, Dr. Estrella R. Agustin, Dr. Angelita M. Esdicul, Dr. Chemba

Raghavan, Ms. Abelina da Costa, Mr. Nugroho Indera Warman, Dr. Fidesrinur, Ms. Cristina Moreno, and Ms. Monique Adalem;

Fourth Row (from L-R): Mr. Johnson See, Dr. Mary Sylvette Gunigundo, Ms. Junko Miyahara, and Ms. Marilyn Manuel


PART II. Proceedings of the Regional Consultation ForumDay 1: 28 March 2011

Opening Ceremony

The three-day regional consultation forum officially started with the entrance of colors of SEAMEO member countries and the playing of the Philippine National Anthem. Ms. Monique Adalem, Training Officer of the Learning and Training Development Unit, SEAMEO INNOTECH, welcomed all the participants. She acknowledged the presence of special guests and speakers like Dr. Witaya Jeradechakul (incoming Director of SEAMEO Secretariat), Undersecretary Yolanda Quijano (Department of Education-Philippines), Dr. Teresa Aquino Oreta (Consultant, ECCD Council-Philippines),

Ms. Junko Miyahara (Coordinator, Asia-Pacific Regional Network on Early Childhood), Ms. Ma. Lourdes de Vera-Mateo (Chief Education Specialist, UNICEF Philippines), Dr. Chemba Raghavan (Consultant, UNICEF-East Asia and Pacific Regional Office), Dr. Teresita Inciong (Executive Director, ECCD Council-Philippines), Ms. Emerita Garon (President, Golden Values School), and Dr. Erlinda Pefianco (Consultant, ECCD Council-Philippines).

Ms. Adalem then requested the participants to briefly introduce themselves, their work and their expectations from the forum. A common thread found in the expectations is the need to share and learn more from the experiences of other countries on early childhood care and development.

The participants’ introductions were then followed by the introduction of the SEAMEO INNOTECH team behind the forum led by Dr. Ramon C. Bacani (Center Director), Mr. Philip J. Purnell (Manager of Programs), Mr. Benito Benoza (Manager of BPPO) and Dr. Ethel Valenzuela (Senior Specialist of Research Studies Unit).

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Welcome RemarksDr. Ramon C. BacaniCenter DirectorSEAMEO INNOTECH

At the outset, Dr. Ramon Bacani acknowledged and thanked all the special guests, SEAMEO member delegates, resource persons, and the SEAMEO INNOTECH officers and staff for their presence in the regional forum. He welcomed everybody to the forum, which finally pushed through after a long period of planning. The forum was in fact an offshoot of a policy forum convened during the 45th SEAMEO Council held in Cebu, Philippines last January 2010, that had former Senator Teresa Aquino Oreta and Prof. Claire Mclachlan of Massey University of New Zealand as the main presenters on the topic of early childhood care and education.

The presentations at the ministerial policy forum generated a lively discussion where a number of important issues emerged, namely, governance, different modes of delivery of ECCD, diversity in the curriculum offerings and standards, teacher qualifications, financing and role of private providers and local governments, and policy/ regulatory frameworks among others. Given the brief time allotted to the discussion in the SEAMEO Council forum, a proposal was made for a regional cooperation project to be led by the Philippines that would explore policies, document good practices, and synthesize other information to broaden the region’s knowledge base on ECCD. An initial $50,000 was pledged by the Philippine Department of Education for this undertaking. It was further noted that the entry of ARNEC as a partner of SEAMEO in this forum and pledging cooperation and additional funds for an ECCD research undertaking was one of the good things to come out of the Regional Consultation Forum.

The discussions that would result from the forum were expected to go beyond policies and national goals to touch on practices and solutions taking place on the ground. These were expected to complement and build on what the Ministers had discussed in Cebu in 2010. The forum would also be a good take-off point for a SIREP (SEAMEO INNOTECH Regional Education Program) activity on ECCD to be conducted by the Research Studies Unit of SEAMEO INNOTECH.

The forum report, including the recommendations and future actions, would be submitted to the next conference of the SEAMEO Council. Dr. Bacani then wished everybody a fruitful and an enjoyable stay in the Philippines.


Opening MessageDr. Witaya JeradechakulDirector DesignateSEAMEO Secretariat

Dr. Jeradechakul initially cited the Philippines’ steadfast commitment to pushing the ECCE advocacy forward and to providing an opportunity for the SEAMEO member countries to discuss frameworks, policies, and programs on ECCE. As an integral part of basic education, ECCE is recognized as the first and essential component to achieving the goals of Education for All. In the pursuit of this, SEAMEO has been engaged in collaborative projects that aimed at addressing the needs of

the disadvantaged, such as the Preschool Programme for All under the initiative “Working Together to Reach the Unreached in Education and Attain Education for All Goals in Southeast Asia.” Additionally, the policy forum held last year at the 45th SEAMEO Council Conference underscored the recognition that the SEAMEO education ministers has given on the issue of ECCE, with some countries like the Philippines even setting it as a national priority.

Continuing from where the education ministers have left off, this regional forum is an opportunity for the countries to once again discuss how to work together to promote ECCE under the framework of cooperation in SEAMEO. Dr Jeradechakul ended by thanking SEAMEO INNOTECH for organizing and hosting this forum, ARNEC for its partnership and assistance, and all the officials and representatives from the different countries for making the important decision to come to Manila to participate in this activity.

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Keynote MessageDr. Yolanda S. QuijanoUndersecretary for Programs and ProjectsDepartment of Education-Philippines

This regional consultation forum, according to Undersecretary Yolanda Quijano, is being hosted by the Philippines with pride, especially in light of the Philippine President’s inclusion of universal preschool in his 10-point agenda for education. The forum is a good opportunity for the region to align its directions and efforts with the global movement to promote ECCE, and to confirm its commitment to prioritize and invest more in this area. Undersecretary Quijano went on to cite the existence of strong evidence to

support the need for early years learning, but that the opportunities for the latter are unevenly distributed and are dependent on external factors that the child has been born and reared into. She posed the following challenges: 1) what policies should be recommended to narrow down the gap and thus reduce, if not eliminate, the consequences of this disparity? and 2) what are the compensatory education opportunities that may be explored for children with limited access due to physical distance from school, including children with special needs, children of indigeneous peoples and those in difficult circumstances where children’s learning has been consistently disrupted by peace problems and natural calamities?

Undersecretary Quijano offered a few suggestions. She recommended that the framework to be adopted in tackling the gaps in ECCE incorporate a more appropriate mix of strategies that involve families and communities and supported by government and NGOs through better collaboration and coordination across service delivery. Policy reviews should be conducted on curriculum content and performance standards for early learners. Policies need to be crafted that will lead to the definition of teacher/tutor/coach qualities important in nurturing the capacities of young children. Early childhood services should be strengthened by knowledge development through research and evaluation. A communication or network system should be put in place. Public-private partnerships need to be bolstered to sustain policies and programs over the long-term. Dr. Quijano believed that this regional consultation forum would be an opportune venue to generate all these good policies and programs that the children deserve.


Plenary Sessions

Plenary 1: ECCE in Asia and the PacificMs. Junko MiyaharaCoordinatorAsia-Pacific Regional Network on Early Childhood (ARNEC)

Ms. Mihayara’s session began with an introduction of ARNEC, its vision, mission and five action pillars. She then proceeded to use the term ECCD instead of ECCE because the former is a bigger framework that encompasses the latter. She shared how the term ECCD was defined in 2010 by the Consultative Group on ECCD, a group of experts from all over the world. She added that brain development is most crucial during the first few years of life and, thus, it is never too early for development and learning to occur in a child. The benefits of quality ECCD can be seen in a child’s, particularly a disadvantaged child’s, school readiness and achievement and in his/her subsequent well-being, learning and behaviour. Quality ECCD, therefore, is considered a more life- and cost-effective strategy compared to tackling behavioral and emotional problems later in life.

On access to ECCD, Ms. Mihayara initially compared the different Asia-Pacific countries on different indicators, noting in the process the direct link between access to early childhood education (ECE) and survival rates to grade 5; between access to ECE programs and percentage of children suffering from moderate to severe stunting; and between wealth quintile and proportion of children aged 36-59 months currently attending ECCE programs. Other comparative indicators shown were official programs targeting children under 3 years old and access to parenting support programs.

She then shared findings on quality issues on ECCD. A 2009 ARNEC study described current quality indicators to be poor (e.g., pupil-teacher ratios) and lacking (e.g., curriculum-related). The UNESCO-UNICEF ECCE Policy Research Series study in 2011, which focused on ECCE teacher policies and quality standards for community-based programs in the Asia-Pacific region, underscored the idea that teacher quality has the greatest influence on quality out-of-home ECCE, and that measurements of ‘quality’ need to be acknowledged as contextually-driven.

On governance and financing, Ms. Mihayara noted that public spending on pre-primary education is negligible as underscored in the percentage of total education expenditure spent on pre-primary of the different countries. An ARNEC report noted governance issues such as the lack of fully developed, integrated and holistic policy among others.

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Ms. Mihayara then related the 5 key messages of ARNEC as she challenged the education sector to think on how it can move further to help all young children reach their fullest learning and development potentials.

(See Annex B for the powerpoint presentation.)

Plenary 2: Improving the Quality of ECCE: The Global Experience Ms. Ma. Lourdes de Vera-MateoChief and Programme Officer, Education SectionUNICEF Philippines

In Ms. De Vera-Mateo’s presentation, a case was made for the ECCE imperative. Investing in young children, she said, is a must because early childhood is the most critical period in human development that influences greatly how the rest of childhood and adolescence unfolds. This is buttressed by neuroscience research findings on the high degree of synaptogenesis that occurs during early childhood. The case for ECCE is also founded on rights, development,

education and equity. While countries may differ on the age bracket covered in ECCE, it is widely defined as encompassing holistic programs that address the needs – nutritional, health, hygiene, physical, emotional, social and educational -- of children from birth until a child enters primary education. It includes a diverse field of organized care and education as well as informal care and child rearing. Ms. Mateo also noted that across the developing world, the private sector has been playing a prominent role in the provision of pre-primary education.

Other studies have been cited to show the extent of benefits that early intervention provides to poor and disadvantaged children in particular. However, studies have shown that many countries still lack programs addressing health, nutrition, care and education of the under 3s; and that poverty limits access to ECCE as children from the poorer households tend to have lower attendance in ECCE.

Besides increasing access, the quality of ECCE programs has also been found to be related to healthy development and to learning outcomes. The post-modern perspective of quality views it as variable and contextual, negotiable, and involving parents, teachers, administrators and researchers. It is against this framework that countries have been addressing quality issues by setting national standards, defining national frameworks and developing monitoring tools on ECCE. Quality also needs to take into consideration the many dimensions such as physical environment, knowledge and experience of human resources, and nature and organization of the


educational process among others. It is worthy to note though that the quality of interaction between carer and child is the single most important determinant of program success.

Ms. Mateo added that while international comparisons of ECCE program quality may be challenging, international monitoring of national quality can still be carried out. Some key questions need to be posed though such as the following: is there a national definition of quality of ECCE produced for ECCE programming in the country? Does the definition allow for diversity of viewpoints and adjustments in a particular context? Lastly, an appeal was made for strong policies on ECCE that involve elements such as staffing, training and standards for all providers, explicit provision for disadvantaged and vulnerable children, broadening partnerships with private sector, NGOs and international agencies and increasing financing.

(See Annex C for the powerpoint presentation.)

Plenary 3: Building Alliances for the Early YearsDr. Teresa Aquino OretaSenior AdviserEarly Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Council

As one of the few legislators who had been privileged with the experience of both enacting a law and implementing that same law later, Dr. Oreta shared her thoughts and insights on the Philippines’ ECCD Act, its creation and implementation. As a member of the House of Representatives and the Senate for many years, Dr. Oreta’s belief that the early years from 0-6 are the most critical during which many learning pathways in the brain are being formed, was the basis on which she crafted a legislative initiative on

ECCD. This initiative resulted in the enactment of the Republic Act (R.A.) 8980 or the ECCD Act in 2000.

The Act promulgates the policy to promote the rights of children to survival, development and special protection with full recognition of the nature of childhood and its special needs, and to support parents in their roles as primary caregivers and as their children’s first teachers. Considered a model for providing the legal framework by which to build partnerships and linkages for ECCD, the Act is noteworthy for institutionalizing a National System for ECCD that is comprehensive, integrative and sustainable, and involving a multisectoral and inter-agency collaboration at the national and local levels anchored on complementary strategies for ECCD.

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Dr. Oreta shared two major insights she derived from the experience. One insight was that while the implementing arrangements and operational structures established in RA 8980 were ideal, these were not necessarily feasible. The National Early Childhood Care and Development Council (NECCDC), which was composed of nine Philippine government agencies and tasked with the responsibility to develop policies and programs and provide technical assistance and support to ECCD providers, was later transformed into the ECCD Council and has been limited to national agencies with the direct authority and responsibility for providing a range of ECCD programs.

The second insight to be shared was that the secretariat of a national agency for ECCD should not have been added to an existing secretariat such as the Council for the Welfare of Children which was tasked to attend to children up to age 21. It had the unintended effect of limiting the focus on 0-6 and diminishing the resolve to enhance existing day care service. The ECCD Council now has its own secretariat.

Dr. Oreta then left the audience with three key messages from the Philippine experience: 1) The importance of keeping a sharp focus on the early years of a child’s development from ages 0-6; 2) Alliances and networking must be encouraged among various stakeholders and then ensuring that the involvement of key players remains a healthy and sustainable undertaking; and 3) A champion must be found from within the highest level of government who will endorse and push forward the agenda for the 0-6 children.

(See Annex D for the powerpoint presentation.)


Open Forum

The open forum that followed the plenary session surfaced the following issues:

On making collaborative work in ECCD succeed

Dr. Oreta explained that every country has its own governance structure and strategies. The Philippines’ experience involves limiting the number of ministries included in the ECCD Council to only those which have direct contact with children aged 0-6. And since the local executives play a major role in the implementation of the ECCD programs, an association of local executives was also included as a member of the council. Thus, a key factor in making the ECCD programs successful is the participation of the local executives, and their belief in the programs.

Another approach is to look at the players involved in the policy- and standard-setting, in the implementation, and in the monitoring of learning centers and ECCD workers. For instance, New Zealand made the radical decision of making the Ministry of Education (MOE) the foremost agency in charge of daycare, although this approach might not work in other countries. When it comes to implementation, there is a need to ensure that the communities in charge of running the centers would be provided with access to financial and technical support. In terms of monitoring, the national agencies have a role to play in ensuring that all these decentralized centers would meet standards of quality.

On the importance of having champions in ECCD

The role of champions in ECCD who can strongly advocate for the issues of the young children is likewise critical. There should be an increased effort to involve more people who can potentially champion the cause of ECCD.

On investing in evidence to sustain advocacy

There is a need to invest in building research-based evidence which can be used to convince more people to become champions for ECCD. Building this body of evidence through research can provide the momentum for advocacy.

On the importance of informal and unstructured interventions

While it is widely acknowledged that investments in structured ECCD programs such as daycare centers, curriculum development and teacher training are highly important, there should be equal, if not more, attention, placed on the informal, unstructured interventions. This is because children spend only a few hours a day in a structured environment while the rest of the time is spent in informal settings. ECCD programs should target these informal communities and sectors and aim to strengthen those involved in such.

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Monitoring the contributions of the family to ECCD is in recognition of the importance of the family as a primary vehicle in childhood development. There is a need to consider policy options that would help support the family, or the parents in particular, in their roles. However, the issue of difficulty of gathering data on informal education was raised. There is a call to reconceptualize and rethink how to define and measure the impacts and progress as a result of interventions in the informal sector.

On the lack of attention on 0-2 yrs

The tendency to focus on center-based ECCD has led to the neglect of ECCD program interventions for those aged 0-2. This is a big gap in ECCD considering that much of critical brain development occurs during this period. The important role of parents and caregivers should be given due attention in the investments and programming for the 0-2 year old children.

On complementing structured ECCD with home-based ECCD

To complement the structured ECCD programs, more effort should also be put into home-based ECCD and parent education services. Develop ECCD champions among parents and caregivers.

On integration of pre-primary to basic education

It was suggested that pre-primary as part of basic education should be a topic for future discussions.


Thematic Sessions

The subsequent thematic sessions consisted of individual country presentations on the current implementation of ECCD along various themes, with each session followed by an expert’s commentary or response to the papers presented.

Theme 1: Early Learning Curriculum Framework and Learning Standards

Participants from Brunei, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Vietnam and the Philippines discussed an overview of the curriculum framework and learning standards adopted in their respective countries.

Brunei DarussalamDr. Hajah Asmah Haji MorniActing Senior Special Duties OfficerHead, Early Childhood Care and Education UnitOffice of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education

Investing in ECCE, according to Dr. Asmah Morni, has become Brunei Darussalam’s main agenda towards fostering the overall quality of education and for the achievement of the Wawasan Brunei or Brunei Vision 2035. In pursuit of this agenda, an ECCE Unit has been established in June 2010 composed of a small but dynamic two-woman unit. It has been tasked to ensure that both government and private preschools provide high quality care and education to young children and their families,

which includes educating and training preschool teachers with developmentally appropriate practice. This First Professional Development Capacity Programme for Preschool Teachers Nationwide, which was launched two years ago but was being run for the first time on the day she was speaking at the forum, would involve 204 government preschool teachers, 499 private preschool teachers as well as facilitators and mentors for districts and catchment areas.

Officially implemented in January 2009, their ECCE curriculum framework is based on the Ministry of Education curriculum guidelines of the new 21st Century National Education System (SPN21). It espouses holistic development in five domains. Their early learning standards, on the other hand, were also in line with the implementation of SPN21. These cover the expected learning outcomes of preschool children at the end of their one-year preschool education. Together

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with these learning standards, a checklist of indicators was issued that governs four aspects, namely: teacher and child, teacher and learning, infrastructure and daily routine. To ensure quality education is being provided, all preschool teachers are expected to fulfill the requirements listed in the checklist and submit a completed form every three months.

Dr. Morni then shared the issues and challenges they face regarding ECCE, which include the teachers’ lack of knowledge and understanding of ECCE principles, the implementation of play-based learning activities by teachers who are not trained in ECCE; the lack of monitoring and supervision system; and the lack of qualified and trained human resource to provide continuous professional support and mentoring to preschool teachers.

(See Annex E for the powerpoint presentation.)

CambodiaMrs. Yos Or ArunChief, Childhood Education OfficeDepartment of Early Childhood EducationMinistry of Education, Youth and Sports

Ms. Yos Or Arun started her sharing with the national policy on early childhood care and development in Cambodia which involves ensuring the access to holistic ECCD services of children from conception to age 6, as well as ensuring that all concerned ministries, public institutions and civil society organizations work together to provide ECCD. The early learning curriculum framework they have adopted aims to provide an appropriate environment and support for the children that is centered on play and that would develop the children’s ability to live flexibly; to improve the instruction system towards maximizing teachers’ skills and creating a cooperative environment; and to promote cooperation with parents and the community through educational counselling and health care. Their ultimate goal is to develop the children’s social, motor and emotional skills. In line with these, they have adopted a National Curriculum Standard for Preschool. It states that preschool should develop specific aims and curriculum content, taking into consideration the experiences of children and the process of child development. The Preschool Curriculum is based on five domains of Early Learning Development Standards (ELDS), namely, physical and health development; moral and cultural; social and emotional; cognition and reasoning; and language.


The Child Education Program includes physical education, cultural activities, language, numeracy, music, arts, environment learning to coexist with nature, and peer relationships that develop positive interaction between children. Their ECCD programs are in the form of public preschools, private preschools, community preschools and home-based ECCD. Cambodia’s National Action Plan for ECCD is currently in draft form and the monitoring system is still being piloted and is under review.

(See Annex F for the powerpoint presentation.)

PhilippinesDr. Teresita G. InciongExecutive DirectorECCD Council - Philippines

Dr. Teresita Inciong began her presentation by introducing two developments that facilitated policy shifts toward bringing more attention to the developmental needs of very young Filipino children. One is the enactment of Republic Act 8980 or the ECCD Act and the second is the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines’ (UNACOM) endorsement of a model with five (5) cycles of educational development, the first of which is for children aged 0-6 or the foundation cycle. She emphasized the need for a national early learning framework (NELF) amidst all the efforts to establish standards and schools of thoughts on ECCD.

The adoption of the Philippine National Early Learning Framework ensures the consolidation and unification of various early learning programs into appropriate learning experiences that would serve as anchor to ensure delivery of ECCD services. This framework shall guide the formation of age-appropriate learning and development programs, whether center-based or home-based, that may be implemented throughout the country. Dr. Inciong then briefly shared the philosophical bases, the core values and the vision of the NELF.

The NELF aims to develop the Filipino child along six (6) dimensions: physical health, well-being and motor development; socio-emotional development; character and values development; character and values development; cognitive/ intellectual development; language development; and creative and aesthetic development. The

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NELF also follows 16 general principles as guides on child growth and development, learning programme development and learning assessment.

The ECCD Council envisions implementing “ECCD First Schools” that would help ensure that children would be ready to enter the Kindergarten programme of the Department of Education. As a feeder system for the kindergarten program, the “First School” program should approximate the DepEd system in terms of vision-mission, goals, guiding principles, licensure and promotion scheme, security of tenure, benefits and others, for connectivity and congruence between the two systems towards the smooth transition of the child from the community school to the formal kindergarten one. It would also offer baby nesting and parent education programs for primary caregivers of children up to 2.11 years of age. Professional development of teachers would also be part of the program.

(See Annex G for the powerpoint presentation.)

Timor-LesteMr. Domingos de Deus MaiaDirector GeneralSchool Administration, Innovation and Curriculum Development Ministry of Education

Mr. De Deus Maia first gave a brief background about Timor-Leste. He then presented an overview of the status of pre-school education in the country, including the number of preschools, teachers and students, as well as the number of 3-5 year old children registered in pre-primary. Timor-Leste has adopted a National Education Policy 2011-2015 that recognizes the fundamental role that preschool education plays as the first cycle of education.

The learning framework, as defined in the National Curriculum, is divided into three (3) parts: body (physical development, hygiene, nutrition, etc.), mind (development of thinking, creative thinking, problem-solving), and spiritual/ emotional (relationship with others, self-confidence, belief in God). The Ministry of Education approved and implemented the ECE curriculum, regulated the activities, and ensured the proper availability of human and material resources in order to reach more children. Supporting them are various non-government organizations, church-based organizations and UNICEF which were also implementing ECE activities and projects; establishing kindergartens, child


care centers, play groups, preschools and community-based ECE; and producing child-centered teaching and learning materials.

In January 2010, an ECE Working Group composed of the MOE, NGOs, church-based organizations and UNICEF, was created. The group’s objectives include sharing knowledge and experiences about ECCD activities, introducing pre-primary learning and teaching materials, and supporting recognition and standardization of quality ECCD materials and teacher training. Three subgroups comprise the working group: policy/ advocacy, curriculum/learning material and community-based ECE.

(See Annex H for the powerpoint presentation.)

VietnamMs. Lê Bích NgocEarly Childhood Education CenterVietnam National Institute of Educational Sciences

The Early Learning Curriculum Framework adopted in Vietnam, according to Ms. Le Bich, carries the following objectives: to promote the child’s physical, emotional, intellectual and aesthetic development; and to form the personality which would increase their readiness to enter primary school. The framework involves programs for the education and care of the crèches (for 3 mos. to 36 mos.) and of the kindergartens (for 3-6 year old children). The programs for education and care of those in the crèches

and kindergarten involve the following aspects: physical development, cognitive development; language development; and emotional, social and aesthetic development.

The learning standards for 5-year old children have these as objectives: to assess children’s development and the implementation of educational programs; to show in more detail the results of each developmental age; to support the implementation of educational programs for children; and to monitor the children’s development and guide the parents’ education. The contents of the learning standards also encompass physical, emotional, language and communication, and cognitive development. The scope for each aspect was shared by Ms. Le Bich. The learning standards, she added, also include the evaluation standards for the 5-year olds; the objectives and methods of assessment; and the assessment of the educational programs.

(See Annex I for the powerpoint presentation.)

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CommentsDr. Estrella AgustinProfessorDepartment of Family Life and Child DevelopmentCollege of Home Economics, University of the Philippines

After congratulating each of the countries for their presentations and their commitment to ECCD, Dr. Agustin brought up the issue of the philosophy behind the framework used. This philosophy

underlying the framework needs to be clear. She then posed questions such as: How are we including the principles of development as we come up with the framework for our framework? For instance, Brunei has free medical health care for those under 12, a policy that underscores the integration of health, nutrition, care and education as a basic principle of ECCD. What are the developmental goals and the educational objectives? Do we foster development? Do we include children with special needs? Is the transmission of cultural heritage and practices included in our philosophy? Vietnam, for example, includes traditional games in its program while Cambodia has moral and cultural aspects as one of its five learning standards.

The philosophy to be adopted should take into consideration the following components/ issues:

Developmentally Appropriate Practice. How does each country go about implementing developmentally appropriate practices? Brunei mentioned management of learning and management of learning environment.

“Preparing Children for the Next Level”. This term needs to be re-examined because it seems to be implying that the current developmental stage is not being valued. If learning begins at birth, why is there a need for transition?

View of Learning and Development. What is one’s view of learning and development? Is learning independent from development, according to Jean Piaget? Does learning need development, according to Vygotsky? Or are the two dependent such that no learning means no development, according to B.F. Skinner? How do children acquire knowledge? How do children learn concepts? Being clear about the theoretical aspect of development would help the countries develop their strategies. Role of Teacher/ First School Teacher. How does one define teacher quality? How should they deal with children? How do they view children’s learning?


A competency framework for teachers is needed. Brunei should be lauded in their efforts to upgrade their teachers’ competencies in ECCD.Role of Families and Communities. It is important to involve the communities who will support the programs on early childhood. Also, families, not just parents, need to be provided with education. All members of the household, including the nannies, ought to be educated about responsibilities and strategies.

Curriculum Design and Content. What is the design of the curriculum? Is it going to be an integrated core curriculum or thematic curriculum or subject matter curriculum? What is the content of the curriculum? Do we teach only the concepts necessary for the next level?

Assessment Tools. These assessment tools would help increase our understanding of the child. But knowing what tools to select can be complex. The purpose of the assessment therefore needs to be clear.

Theme 2: ECCD Teacher Qualification and Standards

Representatives from Vietnam and the Philippines talked about the standards and qualifications in their respective countries.

VietnamMs. Nguyen Thi PhuongVice PrincipalDoan Thi Diem School

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi, preschool teachers in Vietnam need to be at least high school graduates with one or two years of training in pedagogic skills. This qualification applies to all teachers in crèches, preschools and kindergartens. However, there is a difference in the level of training of teachers who work in the urban and in the rural areas.

Those who work in the cities tend to have additional trainings. Interestingly, almost all ECCD teachers are women, she shared.

One major issue for Vietnam is the shortage of qualified ECCD teachers. Around 10% of teachers do not meet the National Training Standard. Mostly found in rural areas, they either have no preservice training or they have attended only short-term courses or trainings. The majority of ECCE teachers (90%), however, have earned professional status; i.e., they have attended at least two years of formal pre-service ECCD programs or its equivalent.

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Vietnam has national ECCD Teacher Training Colleges in three (3) major cities where teachers can enrol in 2 to 3-year programs. There are also intermediate preschool teacher training schools that offer short courses on top of 2 to 3-year programs. All provincial teacher training schools offer ECCD training programs. However, very few teachers enrol in these programs.

ECCD Teacher Standards have been issued by the Ministry of Education. These specify the basic requirements that preschool teachers need to have to meet the objectives of preschool education. These standards were envisioned to help preschool teachers in their self-assessment and in their professional improvement; and to assist in the evaluation, management and training of preschool teachers. These ECCD Teacher Standards include these three (3) areas: morality and lifestyle, knowledge, and pedagogic skills. Ms. Nguyen Thi enumerated the specific aspects of each area.

(See Annex J for the powerpoint presentation.)

PhilippinesMs. Simeona EbolChief, Curriculum Development DivisionBureau of Elementary Education, Department of Education

Ms. Ebol explained that in the Philippines, two department line agencies are mandated to spearhead the implementation of Philippine policies pertaining to ECCD. One is the Department of Education which takes charge of the school-based system. The second one is the Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD) which oversees the community or center-based system.

The day care center is community-based and is managed by a day care worker. Ms. Ebol shared that the day care worker is expected to perform certain functions such as providing supplemental care and monitoring the physical and nutritional growth of each child among other roles. The qualifications of a day care worker are specified in Section 5 of R.A. 6972. Some of these are: female, 18-45 years of age, at least a high school graduate, a resident of the barangay, and must sign a contract to serve as day care worker for at least two years and serve as such based on a satisfactory performance.

The school-based teacher, on the other hand, is expected to possess the necessary college degree and specialization; e.g., Bachelor of Science degree with specialization in Family Life and Child Development or early Childhood Education or Kindergarten.


Ms. Ebol then enumerated some of the competency-based standards that teacher education graduates should follow. Among these are: having the basic and higher level literacy, communication, numeracy, critical thinking, and learning skills needed for higher learning; and having a deep and principled understanding of the learning processes and the role of the teacher in facilitating these processes in their students.

She also added that preschool teachers who have no permanent position tend to be involved in cluster-based trainings which are handled by a core of trainers in each region. Those who have permanent items (regular teachers) are sent to institutions to earn units in ECE. She ended by saying that to attain quality education and produce quality learners, quality teachers are very much a necessity.

(See Annex K for the powerpoint presentation.)

Comments: Understanding the Challenges of ECCD Teacher Qualification and StandardsDr. Erlinda C. PefiancoConsultantECCD Council - Philippines

Dr. Pefianco remarked on the diversity in the Southeast Asian region as exemplified in the presentations. She said that the discussions thus far were not prescribing that only one set of teacher qualification standards or that only one learning framework or one term (i.e., ECCD or ECCE or ECD or ECSG) should be adopted by all countries in the region. What these discussions were suggesting was that there is a need to appreciate what we are doing in terms of how we feel the range of what we are doing should be. All these need to be contextualized according to the needs of the country.

Dr. Pefianco then added that when a state recognizes early childhood as the first cycle of development as recommended by UNESCO in 2000, the whole paradigm changes, as well as how one looks at learning and who the providers of ECCD really are. She took note of Vietnam’s initiative of calling the early years as the “first cycle of national learning,” and Timor-Leste’s reference to this period as the “first cycle of educational development.”

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A lot of partnerships are also going on in terms of developing frameworks, competencies and capabilities, and modalities. The Philippine case is a good example of an alliance or partnership among many national agencies that oversees the full range of ECCD, including the qualification and standards of the whole gamut of ECCD workers.

Dr. Pefianco reminded everyone that the EFA Goal 1 (expanding and improving comprehensive ECCE for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children) is a prerequisite to EFA Goal 2 (access to complete, free and compulsory primary education of good quality), and therefore equally important as the latter. The first MDG speaks of eliminating extreme poverty which should include the poverty of education and being poor intellectually due to lack of access to education.

In the Philippines, however, only a small percentage of young children have ECCD experience prior to entering primary school. The figure is way below the EFA target. This lack of development in the first cycle could be the major factor for the low cohort survival of grade 1 pupils.

According to the state-of-the art review of day care workers conducted in the Philippines, there are more than 49,000 day care workers, 50% of whom are college graduates while 30% are undergraduates. There is a need to provide these day care workers with more professional training so that they would meet the qualifications and standards set for them.

Dr. Pefianco mentioned that being happy working with children should become a necessary qualification among day care workers. Despite the lack of job security and the low pay, many Filipino day care workers were still happy with their work simply because they love children. There is a need to look into these values when getting day care workers to serve our children.

Lastly, the need for evidence-based studies was one again underscored, as well as to find the common issues that bind the different SEAMEO countries together towards a greater appreciation of the challenges and opportunities to move forward.

(See Annex L for the powerpoint presentation.)


Day 2: 29 March 2011

Theme 3: Different Perspectives on Capacity Building for ECCD Workers

This panel discussion which talked about the capacity-building programs for ECCD workers was jointly conducted by the representatives from the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand.

PhilippinesDr. Felicitas PadoProfessor, Teacher in the Early Grades AreaCollege of Education, University of the Philippines-Diliman

In any plan for capacity-building on ECCD, according to Dr. Pado, the following background information are important to consider:

Objectives of ECCD. The ECCD Objectives include among others improving infant and child survival rates, enhancing holistic development of young children; facilitating a smooth transition from care and education provided at home, to the community and to school; and ensuring that young children are adequately prepared for the formal learning system.

The ECCD Workers. Who the day care workers are in the Philippines can be gleaned from the “State-of-the-Art Review (SOTAR) of Day Care Service in the Philippines,” a study conducted in 2010. Close to half are college graduates while almost 3 in 10 are college undergraduates. Of these, less than 1% had education-related courses though.

The Children They Are Teaching/Going to Teach. The children being taught include the 0-6 year old children.

The Teaching-Learning Context. In the Philippines, day care centers are spread out all over the country, with 49,712 centers located in 80 provinces.

In examining the role of the academe in the capacity-building for ECCD workers, there is a need to ask two important questions: What are we doing for students who wish to be ECCD workers? And what do we do for the ECCD workers and supervisors?

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For those who wish to be ECCD workers, the College of Education in the University of the Philippines offers undergraduate programs that would train them to teach young children. For instance, one area of concentration in the Bachelor of Elementary Education degree is the “Teaching in the Early Grades” which prepares students to teach preschool, grade 1 and grade 2. There is a recommendation from the Commission on Higher Education to make early childhood education a separate baccalaureate degree. It was envisioned to adopt a ladderized scheme such that students need not finish the 4-year course to become an ECCD worker.

When conducting in-service training for ECCD workers, the following concerns are important to consider:

What topics should be included in the training? According to the SOTAR study, among the day care workers’ top training needs are Principles of Child Growth and Development, Rights of the Child, and the ECCD Assessment Checklist. The role of the academe is to identify the skills needed by the 5-year old children to prepare them for grade 1, design training programs, and to establish greater collaboration with the Department of Education (DepEd) in preparing 5-year olds for the next level.

How will in-service training be delivered? This can be done through face-to-face training, distance education, radio programs, use of technology, and modules.

How will the day care workers be monitored? On this, the day care supervisors in collaboration with the local faculty in the area, and the DepEd supervisors have a role to play.

(See Annex M for the powerpoint presentation.)

IndonesiaDr. FidesrinurDean, Faculty of Psychology and EducationAl Alzhar Indonesia University

Dr. Fidesrinur shared that the area and topography of Indonesia, and the autonomy of regencies have made it a big challenge for the country to achieve quantity (access) and quality of ECCE at the same time. Their experience showed that choosing access to ECCE would negatively affect its quality, and vice versa. The limited access to ECCD is influenced by several factors, including the low level of understanding of ECCE in the community, the high cost of services due to the inaccessibility of many areas, and lack of institutions focusing on children aged 0 to 3.


Dr. Fidesrinur highlighted four (4) issues concerning ECE development. These are:

Early Childhood Education in Theory and Practice. ECCE as taught in the university does not seem to match ECCE as practiced inside the classrooms. Teachers are still observed to teach the way they were taught rather than the way they were taught to teach. In addition, the quality of ECE seems to be equated with the speed in which children learn reading, writing and counting.

Inconsistency between School and Home. There should be continuity between what happens at home and what is learned in school. There are observations that what the children learn in school tend not be reinforced at home.

The Family-Based Early Childhood Care and Education. This is the public institutions’ response to the ECCD needs of communities. It is an alternative approach to address the limited access to ECCE caused by geographic and economic factors. Parents need to have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities, as well as of a child’s development.

Early Childhood Educator. The growth in demand in ECCE is not accompanied by an increase in teachers. Only 36.69% of the total need for teachers is met. The gap is not only reflected in numbers but also in teacher qualifications. The government contributes to the improvement of teacher qualities through training of trainers (TOT), apprenticeship, workshops and seminars.

Dr. Fidesrinur concluded his talk by saying that teaching children entails teaching their communities. And to teach communities means translating ECCE theories into practice, being consistent, strengthening family-based early childhood education and care, and continually improving educators or caregivers.

(See Annex N for the powerpoint presentation.)

ThailandDr. Nichara RuangdaraganonAssociate Professor in PediatricsMahidol University

The long-term policy and strategy for early childhood care and development 2007-2016 was prepared by the Office of Education Council of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, the Ministry of Public Health, and Ministry of Interior, as shared by Dr. Ruangdaraganon. This Early Childhood Development Act of 2008 was promulgated by the Prime Minister who also heads the National Committee for Early Childhood Care and Development.

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She then introduced the project Bookstart as a concrete outcome of Thailand’s major policy on early childhood reading. First founded in the United Kingdom, the concept of Bookstart was implemented in 2004 by the Office of Education Council in cooperation with Books for Children Foundation and Ministry of Public Health. Bookstart bag sets were distributed to 106 families with children as young as six months old. The project entailed reading to a baby or child anytime and anywhere for 5-15 minutes a day.

It was a simple strategy that led to many positive outcomes. Results showed that more parents and caregivers spent more time singing, telling stories, playing, and reading books to children. Other changes in the family as a result of the project are the improved relationship between parents and children, and the caregivers’ better understanding of children. These results reinforce the importance of cultivating and promoting the reading habit as early as the first year of life. The National Committee for Early Childhood Care and Development as chaired by the Prime Minister of Thailand was committed to make the policy work. The Ministry of Public Health put in more resources into the project which contributed much to its success.

For the government to implement policies that would promote this habit in young children, two (2) operating strategies were important to implement: introducing books to children in early childhood and the promotion of books of appropriate quality. There was also recognition that capability-building for health professionals is critical to making the project sustainable.

Other ECCD initiatives in Thailand include the Early Childhood Behavioral Competency Project for children aged 0-5 being implemented by the Office of Education Council in collaboration with UNICEF Bangkok. Continuing work in ECCD involves mobilizing the long-term policy and strategy for ECCD 2007-2016 and supporting research and development.

(See Annex O for the powerpoint presentation.)


PhilippinesMs. Emerita GaronUNESCO Commissioner/ President, Golden Values School

Ms. Garon first made a clarification that she has not earned her doctorate so she could not be called a doctor as yet. This is because she was busy with a lot of work, including managing a preschool that she and her husband established in 1979. The Golden Values School was built based on the conviction that the early years are the most crucial for molding character and learning habits. According to Ms. Garon, “they wanted a school that would teach attitudes and values and not just academics.” This is evident in their GVS Mission and Vision, their general objectives, and their Code of Honor.

She next shared the capacity-building program in their school. The GVS Teacher Training Program is based on their belief that the teacher acts as the surrogate mother of the children. With this in mind, they built their training program focused on some key realities: that human development in the early years provides the base upon which later development depends, and that learning in real-life situations calls for a holistic approach. Similar to a “boot camp,” the teacher undergoes a rigid three-day live-in training program where teachers learn to test their physical, mental and emotional limits and to go beyond these, leading to an increased belief in themselves, the acquisition of risk-taking skills and stress management skills, and the enhancement of teamwork and better communication. They also instituted an Academic Guarantee Program which entailed providing a guarantee to students, while teachers are made accountable for the learning of each student. If a student does not meet the guarantee, the teacher will be required to tutor the child for 20 hours for free. The child’s average is plotted on the academic guarantee program at the end of each quarter, with him/her getting an upgrade in guarantee once the child goes beyond the existing level.

In sum, Ms. Garon concluded her talk with two quotations from Dr. David Grudermeyer and Dr. Carl Jung that both talk about a child’s relationship with his/her caregiver and its impact on the child’s intellectual and emotional health.

(See Annex P for the powerpoint presentation.)

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CommentsDr. Chemba RaghavanConsultant, Education UnitUNICEF-East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO)

In response to the presentations, Dr. Raghavan initially expressed her appreciation at the diversity in the perspectives on capacity-building.

Referring to Dr. Pado’s presentation, Dr. Raghavan appreciated the point made about upgrading the knowledge of service providers since the latter has always advocated for evidence-based advocacy. The region may have been gifted with extremely compassionate teachers/ mentors but whose knowledge of current findings related to ECCD has not kept in pace. She also mentioned that by investing in low-cost cognitive development resource, low-cost

nutrition and other low-cost alternatives, holistic ECCD is in fact possible. She was also glad to hear about the role of mentoring and monitoring.

Dr. Raghavan then commented on Dr. Fidesrinur’s presentation. The issue of quantity versus quality which the latter posed at the beginning was certainly challenging. However, based on research findings, both are possible, especially so that many low-cost alternatives are available. Family-based ECCD could also be useful to address this. Heritage-related activities can be provided. It need not be an either-or proposition. Also, it is important to think of the child when engaging quality and quantity at the same time.

Dr. Ruangdaraganon’s perspective as a health professional is a refreshing one, according to Dr. Raghavan. This time, the point of entry is the health sector to mobilize the community to deliver better quality of ECCD. Thailand has a high political will with regards to ECCD. However, even if political will is not immediately evident, programs such as Bookstart can be valuable. The book could serve as a toy and a way to engage the child, family and community. There is a need to emphasize the importance of how we can enhance the holistic value if such.

On Ms. Garon’s presentation, she mentioned that her calling attention to emotional control and development in the early years is very important. ECCD as a preventive mechanism for later emotional problems could be an important tool for advocacy. The use of experiential activities is a good way of making the curriculum more joyous, instead of relying on rote learning. Another good point raised during Ms. Garon’s session is the accountability of teachers.


To summarize, five points were highlighted:

1. Family-based or community-based ECCD is a useful tool for capacity-building.

2. The involvement of the academic world in building evidence-based programs and advocacy is important.

3. Use existing resources to make things more hands-on, more joyous and more meaningful for children.

4. There are creative ways to advocate and engage communities.

5. How do we make ECCD an attractive destination for teachers?

Dr. Ragavhan then conducted a quick survey to learn what the top capacity-building needs of each country are. The results of this exercise can be found in the table below:

COUNTRY CAPACITY-BUILDING NEEDSBrunei Darussalam • Community involvement, including

NGOs• Public-private partnership• Parenting skills education

Cambodia • Preschool teacher training• Parenting education• Creating early assessment tools

Indonesia • How to communicate with parents• How to care for children 0-2 years old• Storytelling• How to utilize natural resources

(especially in rural areas)

Lao PDR • Caregiver• ECE in community• Family education• Monitoring and evaluation

Malaysia • Moral parenting education• Community involvement• Moving from preschool to early

childhood care

Thailand • Quality control• Assessment• Evaluation and monitoring tools

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Timor-Leste • Training on how to teach in the class-room (3-5 years old)

• ECCD awareness

Vietnam • Assessment of children• Family-based work• Curriculum for low achievers• How to use or implement learning

standards on ECCE

Theme 4: ECCD Assessment Methodologies

Officials from Malaysia, Cambodia and the Philippines shared their experiences on the ECCD assessment methodologies being employed in their countries.

UNICEF-East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO)Dr. Chemba RaghavanConsultant, Education Unit

As a representative of UNICEF-EAPRO, Dr. Raghavan said that she would be presenting a more regional perspective on this topic, as well as a larger view based on research findings. She initially gave a definition of assessment and some of the broad issues in ECCE that are pertinent to it, such as ECCE being provided in the child’s mother tongue; being appropriate to the children’s age; including parents’ education; and including the systematic use of early childhood indicators. She added that the relevant questions to ask in ECCE assessments involve asking what we are assessing, how a program affects us, why we need to assess a particular issue, who the relevant stakeholders are, and what our vision is. The commonly used methods for ECCE assessment are quantitative, qualitative and mixed method assessments.

The steps to take in ECCE include performing pre-assessment protocols such as baselines and situation analysis, followed by process assessments, outcome assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and pre-assessments for related and new issues. To have an evidence-based assessment, technical expertise and political commitment are needed. Under the ECCE goal, the following indicators and information are relevant: enrolment rates, quality of ECCE services such as pupil-teacher ratio, the presence of holistic national policies and standards, and public


expenditure on ECCE among others. Regional data would show, for instance, that the proportion of new entrants to grade 1 with organized ECCE experience is significantly related to cohort survival rate. Evidence that could be used come from a variety of quantitative, qualitative or mixed/ blended sources. To use these evidences and data from regional reviews to assess the next steps for national initiatives, either existing strengths are consolidated or gaps are identified. Some gaps identified in regional assessments include the lack of accurate, reliable, valid and disaggregated data; the neglect of under-3s; the lack of clear definitions of quality, and others.

Disaggregated quantitative data are useful tools to assess the next steps in the region. Dr. Raghavan showed several examples from the Asia-Pacific region. But while this region has particular interest in quantitative data, numbers do not give an in-depth picture. Qualitative assessments have provided more detailed pictures of existing initiatives, and can also point to new studies of teacher beliefs, caregiving and parental practices, and teacher-child interactions.

Dr. Raghavan then shared a few recommendations for assessment. Some of those she highlighted were creating benchmarks and indicators for the under-3s, building on traditional practices, and strengthening evidence-based advocacy and capacity-building. In the end, she discussed that quality is a contextually defined term, and that defining it should be in terms of meaningful dimensions which can include physical and social settings, daily routines, use of mother tongue, inclusiveness and many more. She said that there is a need to create, sustain and strengthen quality indicators that are not only culturally relevant but are also flexible and responds to changing situations. Based on the work in the region, the recommended next steps would be to give more focus on provisions for 0-3; to give strong emphasis on parents, other family caregivers, and community members; develop and articulate quality focus and vision; and build alliances and networks.

(See Annex Q for the powerpoint presentation.)

CambodiaMrs. Meach SobunnaChief of Bureau, Department of Early Childhood EducationMinistry of Education, Youth and Sports

Ms. Meach presented the different models of ECCE provision in Cambodia. The public preschool is for the 5-year olds and is attached to the primary schools. A separate public preschool caters to the 3-5 year olds. Community preschools are for children aged 3-5 years. There are also private preschools for those aged 3-5. Home-based programs exist as well for those aged 0-5.

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Assessment methods used by the teacher include daily observations, peer evaluation, and discussions with parents on their child’s development.

The ECE Department in cooperation with the Curriculum Development Department test the children in grade 1 with ECE experience, on language and mathematics. There are existing monitoring tools but the review of these tools to strengthen the quality is ongoing. In line with this, the goals for next year are to continue the review of monitoring tools, to establish new assessment tools, and to review the monitoring and evaluation framework.

Ms. Meach expressed appreciation for the many information she learned from this forum that she would discuss with her director for the continued improvement of assessment tools.

(See Annex R for the powerpoint presentation.)

Philippines Dr. Angelita M. EsdiculDirector III, Office-in-ChargeBureau of Elementary Education (BEE)Department of Education

Assessment as a key element of any education program was initially emphasized by Dr. Esdicul. She then underscored the importance of assessment as it provides information on growth and development of the child, on whether a child is receiving care and nurturing required of his/her age; and on the intervention and instructional materials appropriate for child’s development. Assessment is mostly carried out through informal observations of a child, one-on-one meeting with the child;

portfolios where the child’s work and projects are saved; progress reports and report cards.

In the Philippines, the ECCD assessment tools being used are the following:

ECCD Checklist. Administered by day care workers or kindergarten teachers upon admission of students, the ECCD checklist was designed to monitor children’s development from 0 months to 5 years and 11 months. It involves an interview-observation method and record forms that incorporate procedure as well as scoring criteria. Its items are developmentally sequenced for seven domains such as gross motor, fine motor, receptive language, expressive language, cognitive area, social-emotional area and self-help skills.


Filipino adaptation of the Portage Guide to Early Education. This adaptation was initiated and developed by Dr. Teresita Inciong when she was still at the Department of Education. This is a tool used to assess children with handicapping conditions within a variety of instructional delivery systems. It can be used for individual teaching or group learning, and covers five areas, namely, socialization, language, self-help, cognitive and motor.

School Readiness Assessment (SReA) Tool. This tool is used for grade 1 entrants to determine the level of progress across different developmental domains critical in the development of grade 1 learning competencies. Part 1 of the tool consists of 42 items covering gross and fine motor, reading readiness, sensory discrimination and seriation/ classification, and concept formation. The teacher marks the item with a check or any mark while observing the child along the various domains. Part 2 has 27 questions about the child that are directed at the caregiver/ parents. These many be answered either with a yes or a no with comments.

To conclude, Dr. Esdicul remarked that empirical studies are being conducted on the assessment of school readiness using SReA because there is recognition that research will provide information on the strengths and weaknesses of kindergarten students, as well as ways on how to improve the current kindergarten program.

(See Annex S for the powerpoint presentation.)

MalaysiaDr. Ng Soo Boon Head, Early Childhood Care and Education Sector Curriculum Development Division, Ministry of Education

Dr. Ng initially apologized for missing the first day of the forum and the session in which she was originally assigned to be a discussant. Her presentation therefore would try to give some information on the different issues already previously covered besides the topic on assessment methodologies. She began by saying that the Malaysian National Preschool Curriculum Standards (NPCS) started to be implemented in 2003, with all preschools

required to adopt it. The private kindergartens which comprise around 30-40% of the total number, may use another program but only in addition to this standard curriculum. She then discussed the necessary elements of a curriculum such as aims and objectives, teaching and learning approaches and assessment.

The principles of NPCS include developmentally appropriate approaches and content; taking into consideration individual differences to allow children to learn at

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their own pace; student-centered approaches; and encouraging children to explore to build their own understanding of the world. A learning environment therefore is safe, enriching, engaging and fun (SEEF). The physical and social environment should not be rigid to ensure effective and meaningful learning.

The teaching and learning approaches that need to be adopted include being child-centered, encouraging of discovery and inquiry, integrated, and thematic among others. The NPCS emphasizes more the process of learning rather than the outcome. In curriculum development, there is a need to determine the purpose of the assessment. The assessment process should be conducted on the content stated in the National Preschool Curriculum; and should be formative, authentic and continuous. Methodologies need to be developmentally appropriate, valid, reliable, ethically conducted and respectful of the rights of children.

The main assessment methodology recommended in the NPCS is the observation. Other tools can be in the form of checklists, rating scales, and portfolios of children’s works. Paper-and-pencil tests are not recommended. In the National Key Result Area (NKRA), one suggestion under the sub-NKRA of accessibility and quality of preschool education is the National Preschool Assessment instrument. Dr. Ng mentioned that because the NKRA got a lot of funding, they were forced to come out with a national instrument which in turn is expected to produce quantitative outputs such as the number of children who can read and write. In the end, they came up with the decision to use observation and checklist tools. Dr. Ng shared in the end the challenges and issues they were currently grappling with: is the ECCE curriculum still teaching the young ones? Are they teachers or carers? Is there a need for monitoring in terms of daily schedule for the children? What kind of assessment? What teaching and learning approaches are to be adopted?

(See Annex T for the powerpoint presentation.)

CommentsProf. Victorina PabalanProfessorECE Department, Philippine Normal University

Prof. Pabalan remarked that the different presentations had described clearly how assessment is being done in different countries. These have helped underscore the point that assessment is a built-in process in ECCD. She agreed that clients and programs should be assessed, and that quality and developmentally appropriate assessments need to be the norm. The challenge lies in training the teachers in appropriate assessment and in the use of instruments, and in the improvement of appropriate methodologies to assess the different areas of development among children. Information on the assessment procedure is mostly neglected and not included in the curriculum.


The Philippine Normal University, specifically the Early Childhood Department where Prof. Pabalan teaches, has several projects on assessment such as assessing the behavior of the children in the curriculum; preparing instructional textbooks and testing materials; and observations of young children. These are given importance and integrated in all the subjects on early childhood. Researches have likewise been conducted as part of the requirements in the undergraduate and graduate subjects of the students.

Cambodia, Malaysia and Philippines presented very good models that can be adapted to encourage further research on the methodologies of assessment. She further underscored the appropriateness of conducting observations on preschool children, the need to assess skills of would-be teachers. Children and adults who are directly in contact with children like siblings and caregivers could also be interviewed. For more reliability and validity of data, the triangulation method should be used.

This regional forum, Prof. Pabalan added, was a healthy and timely exercise for the ECCD stakeholders to examine existing methodologies for its effectiveness, as well as the applicability of the different models shown on own countries.

Theme 5: The Teaching and Learning Methodologies in ECCD

Participants from Lao PDR, Thailand and Timor-Leste were the lead discussants in this session where the teaching and learning methodologies of their respective countries were shared.

Lao PDRMs. Siphaphone ManivanhDirector, Pre-school Education DivisionDepartment of Primary and Pre-school EducationMinistry of Education

Ms. Manivanh provided background information about Lao PDR, its total area, population and languages. She then gave an overview of the education system in the country. A few information about the state of ECCE were then shared. For instance, the number of schools slightly increased from 1,123 in 2008-09 to 1,284 in 2009-2010. Preprimary classes likewise increased from 1,260 in 2008-09 to 1,421 in 2009-10; crèches from 262 to 293; kindergartens from 2,372 to 2,505; preschool teachers from 3,920 to 4,361; and students from 85,357 to 95,974.

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Their teaching and learning methodologies in ECCE involves the use of toys, teaching-learning kits or ECE Boxes, the nature or environment, a preschool teachers’ guidebook, and other materials or facilities.

(See Annex U for the powerpoint presentation.)

ThailandDr. Nichara RuangdaraganonScholar Member of the National Committee on Early Childhood DevelopmentMahidol University

To help introduce the brain-based learning approach as an alternative system used in Thailand, Dr. Ruangdaraganon briefly mentioned the major parts of the brain, including the four brain lobes, and the multitude of connections between the two hemispheres. She pointed to areas of the brain where phonological processing and word meaning occur. Phonological processing, she added is crucial in the English and Thai languages. She emphasized that maturation begins at birth, and continues to occur as the brain develops. Brain studies show that children with dyslexia can experience some improvements after remediation.

She then discussed the “windows of opportunity” in which each developmental aspect such as gross and fine motor skills, vision, social attachment and emotional expression and control have a period of critical development in the brain. This brain-based learning model is utilized in 12 pilot schools in Thailand and applied in 7 courses, namely, Thai, English, Math, Science, Physical Education, Music/Dance and Art. According to this learning approach, six (6) factors that influence children’s learning development need to be seriously considered. These are the environment that stimulates learning, the curriculum and materials, the teachers and teachers’ learning processes, learning management, family/ community support and background of students.

The results of the study in the 12 pilot schools reveal that positive outcomes have occurred among the students, the teachers/ administrators and parents. National test scores have increased for these students, for instance. Thus, some private schools are also adopting the approach for integration in their curriculum. Dr. Ruangdaraganon expressed hope as the years 2009-2018 ushered in the second decade of Thailand’s educational reforms.

(See Annex V for the powerpoint presentation.)


Timor-LesteMs. Abelina da CostaNational Director of Pre-SchoolMinistry of Education

Ms. Da Costa reminded everyone about the ECE-Working Group that her colleague, Mr. De Deus Maia, talked about the day before. The subgroup on curriculum/ learning material provides the guide for the preschool teachers anchored on the “base curriculum” of 2004. It also promotes greater participation by parents and local communities in the decision-making processes. Thus, an Association of Parents and Teachers is established in each school.

The Getting Ready for School (GRS) program to be implemented on 9-14 May 2011 would assist teachers on how to help prepare children for

school. A training of trainers (ToT) would then be conducted. The GRS program endorses local and child-centered teaching and learning materials. A variety of methodologies can be used in the classroom that is expected to be participatory and creativity-enhancing.

(See Annex W for the powerpoint presentation.)

CommentsDr. Teresita G. InciongExecutive DirectorECCD Council Philippines

There were no common strands among the three (3) presentations, according to Dr. Inciong. Regarding Dr. Ruangdaraganon’s presentation, she commented that since the brain-based model is a Western model, it might be better for Asians to look for models based on Asian cultures, resources and expertise. She added that there should be more evidence to show whether the brain-based model applied in the preparatory schools was truly effective. She was also interested to know whether a multi-sensory approach was used in kindergarten. She

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commended Dr. Ruangdaraganon’s discussion of dyslexia and the role of the brain in bringing this about. This explanation helps parents understand their children’s reading disfunction better.

On Ms. Manivanh’s presentation, she hoped to be clarified on what was meant by “nature and environment.” Was the curriculum anchored on nature and environment? If nature, just like the home, is a laboratory for children, then the curriculum could focus on movement and rhythm, arts and crafts and other outside activities.

On Ms. Da Costa’s presentation, she remarked that their base curriculum consists of a program on getting ready for school. She further cited that in the Philippines, there is the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) where parents and other stakeholders are encouraged to contribute inputs on the curriculum and to be involved in the decision-making and problem-solving.

All the countries have reported learning standards, curriculum framework and other aspects; however, they vary in the way these are delivered and in how they teach the child. The important thing is that the child is being given stimulation. To summarize, she related several recommendations gained from the discussions:

• There should be recognition that each child is unique. There is no one rule for children. The delivery of the curriculum, for instance, depends on the culture, type of training and the teacher preparation of each country.

• The delivery and the materials to be used are should be age- or developmentally appropriate.

• The use of local materials available in the communities is encouraged. • There is a need to start early regardless of whether the curriculum to be

used is integrated or brain-based.• There is a need to determine what needs to be done for children who are

vulnerable, for children with special needs, for children-at-risk, for children in remote areas, and for children who are victims of disasters and of armed conflicts.

• Public investments on ECCD need to increase.

Open Forum

The following major points emerged from the discussion:

On Language DelayLanguage is the basic foundation for basic learning, and yet language is the most prevalent developmental delay. It is the hardest to develop and is dependent on the kind of interaction a child has and the presence of a model she/he could learn from. The use of the mother tongue is important. At birth, one has the capacity to learn all sounds but learns only what they hear.


On DyslexiaThere are a lot of controversies about dyslexia. One is the use of glasses to improve the dyslexic condition. According to Dr. Ruangdaraganon, while a small number of these children may do better after using glasses, this may not be the core deficit among the dyslexics. The main weakness is in the phonological awareness.

On the Use of Western ModelsAs a medical doctor who was trained in medicine the Western way, the adoption of the Western brain-based model in Asian countries is based on the premise that all beings are biologically the same. It is the same physiology that is being treated. This is not to say that the environment does not play a role. The brain-based learning model also talks about environmental stimulation but it talks about local toys and local environmental stimuli, not Western toys.

On the Short Attention Span of Current Generations of ChildrenCases of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) cases have been increasingly prevalent. For Dr. Ruangdaraganon, this ADHD is in the same continuum as dyslexia. This can be seen in the babies’ different temperaments where some can sit still for a long time while others tend to be very active by nature. Her hypothesis is that as the world becomes even less interactive, delays in development become even more pronounced.

Theme 6: Governance and Financing of ECCD Programs in Southeast Asia

The lead discussants for this session were the delegates from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Lao PDR who talked about the governance structures and financing mechanisms on ECCD in their respective countries.

Brunei DarussalamMs. Pg Hajah Sarah Pg Haji KamaluddinActing Director GeneralOffice of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education

Ms. Kamaluddin gave a brief overview of ECCE in Brunei Darussalam, emphasizing the investment in early childhood education as the nation’s main agenda towards fostering the overall quality of education and for the achievement of the Brunei Vision 2035. The government’s commitment is concretely manifested through the Ministry of Education’s establishment of the Early Childhood Care and Education Unit on 1 July 2010 and the recognition of ECE as the top priority among all the educational strategies.

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One of the Unit’s main functions is to educate and train preschool teachers currently working in the public and private preschools with ECCE best practices to ensure that they are highly equipped to provide quality learning experiences to young children.

The country adopts a multi-agency approach to ECCE whereby three (3) government ministries and a host of non-government organizations are involved in ECCE. The Ministry of Health takes charge of health services for children aged 0-5 years old. The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MoCYS) is responsible for the private child care centers for children aged 0 to 3 years. The public (for 5-year olds) and the private (3-5 year olds) preschool care and education are under the Ministry of Education (MoE).

The private child care centers are fee-charging institutions which are governed under the requirements of the Brunei Darussalam Child Care Center Order of 2006 and its subsidiary legislation, the Child Care Center Regulations of 2006. These legal frameworks were established mainly to control, license and regulate quality childcare centers for those aged 0-3. The MoCYS sets a minimum requirement of child-caregiver ratio depending on the age of the children in a class.

There are two types of provisions of preschool education in formal schools. One is a one-year free preschool or a one-year pre-primary program in government preschools for children aged 5. The other option is a 3-year fee-paying preschool program offered by private preschools for those aged 3-5 and registered under the Private Education Section of the MoE.

Ms. Kamaluddin added that there are a total of 204 preschool classes in 119 primary schools in the country. All the preschool teachers possess initial teacher training but all are encouraged to acquire higher education. Salaries of teachers at the government preschools are paid by the MoE according to their qualifications while private school teachers are compensated from fees paid by parents. All private schools are regulated by the MoE in terms of their registration and licensing, teacher recruitment and renewal, and curriculum and infrastructure.

(See Annex X for the powerpoint presentation.)


IndonesiaMr. Nugroho Indera WarmanCoordinator, Early Childhood Education and Development Program, Directorate of Early Childhood EducationMinistry of National Education

Mr. Nugroho I.W. initially enumerated the legal basis of the implementation of ECCE in Indonesia. The 1945 Basic Constitution, Law No. 23 of 2002 on Child Protection, Law No. 20 of 2003 on the National Education System, and Article 28 of Sisdiknas Law all have provisions that strengthen the basis for ECCE. Mr. Nugroho then presented a matrix of the different ECCE programs in Indonesia and the corresponding, age, target, focus, activity time, number of institutions, and gross participation number for each program. For instance, the day care or childcare service (Taman Penitipan Anak)

is for children aged 3 months to 6 years old aimed to serve as a surrogate function for a certain time, especially to children whose parents are unavailable for some reason. The activity time spent in day cares is 8 to 10 hours per day for 5-6 days a week. There are 862 day cares in 2009.

The gross participation number in 2009 is 27,601. The Ministry of Social Affairs is responsible for the children’s welfare aspect whereas the Ministry of National Education is responsible for the education aspect.

Other ECCE programs that Mr. Nugroho mentioned include Kindergarten (Taman Kanak-kanak), Raudhatul Athfal (RA), playgroup (Keolompok Bermain), and other similar ECE units (Satuan PAU Sejenis).

In 2010, a policy of integrated, holistic ECCE was implemented which meant that various ministries have a role to play. The MoNE takes charge of the education aspect. The Ministry of Health (MoH) is responsible for the nutrition aspect; Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) for the social welfare aspect, the National Coordination Board for Family Planning for family sustainability, and Ministry of Home Affairs for community empowerment.

Since 2004, the budget for education has been allocated 20% of the State Income and Expenditure Budget (APBN). Of this, ECE gets only 0.5%. Of the budget being managed by MoNE, however, it gets 2.5%. Since 2005, the level of increase in the ECE budget is around 31% per year. Mr. Nugroho showed that even if the

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APBN budget increased from 2005 to 2010, the number of ECE students being served still fall short of the number of students that should be served based on the strategic planning plan of 2005-2009.

In 2011, 71% of the ECE budget or US $102 million will be disbursed directly to the community through assistance programs like ECE model for regency and sub-district level, operational costs for children, provision of educational toys; and ECE tools and teaching-learning activities for natural disaster response among others. Other government departments such as the National Coordination Board for Family Planning, the MoH, and the MoSA also have small allotments for ECCE.

(See Annex Y for the powerpoint presentation.)

Lao PDRMs. Phetduangkhae KiobmalaTechnical Officer, Pre-school Education DivisionDepartment of Primary and Pre-school EducationMinistry of Education

Ms. Kiobmala first gave an overview of the public financing of education. The detailed guidelines are prepared by the Ministry for Planning and Investment (MPI) and the Ministry of Finance (MOF) upon instruction from the Office of the Prime Minister and the budget planning system. These are then sent to line ministries and provinces which are responsible for the budget preparations at the central and provincial level. In Lao PDR, the procedures of annual budgeting and planning preparation for education, as depicted in the figure shown by Ms. Kiobmala, consist of

several actions depicting a top-down process, followed by a bottom-up process and finalized with a second top-down process.

In terms of education financing, the private sector in the provision of preschool, primary, secondary, technical colleges and universities has grown quickly from FY 2000-01 to 2004-05. Parents pay minor fees for primary and secondary education although primary education is compulsory. Additionally, multilateral and bilateral agencies and non-government organizations contribute a high share of the investment budget.

These financial contributions from development partners tend to be used to build new schools, additional classrooms, rehabilitate existing premises and provide textbooks and teacher guides. Financial contributions from the family go to registration and other fees while community contributions go to salaries of contract


workers, cash contributions for repairs and furnitures, in-kind contributions for construction of additional classrooms, renovations, and others. Regular teachers are paid by the provincial or the district government. The Provincial Education Service (PES) and the District Education Bureau (DEB) staff are assigned to cover the preschool education.

Figures show that the ECCE Expenditure from FY 2001-02 to FY 2009-2010 seems to be on an increasing trend.

(See Annex Z for the powerpoint presentation.)

CommentsMr. Jesus Lorenzo R. Mateo Assistant Secretary for Planning Department of Education, Philippines

Assistant Secretary (Asec.) Mateo mentioned that his reactions would include not just the three presentations for this particular theme but presentations from the other sessions as well. His initial remarks though were for the three speakers that preceded him. Ms. Kamaluddin’s presentation underscored the high priority that Brunei is giving to ECCD, as well as the multi-agency approach the government is implementing. Mr. Nugroho highlighted the need to

allocate financial resources for ECCD. Asec. Mateo expressed amazement that the constitution of Indonesia has a ceiling or cap for the education budget which amounts to 20% of the country’s GDP. This contrasts with the Philippines’ struggle to maintain that percentage. Ms. Kiobmala, on the other hand, gave an overview of Lao PDR’s budgeting process and the increasing investment being placed on ECCD.

Based on all that he had heard and read from the participants, and also from the high-level meeting he recently attended in Jomtien, Thailand, he shared five (5) key messages about ECCD:

1. Learning begins at birth even though formal learning starts only at 6 years old. Born with billions of neurons or brain cells capable of creating trillions of connections, the child at birth is equipped with the potential to speak any language in the world. Good nutrition, affection, stimulation and a safe environment are needed for these neural connections to take place. The brain, however, loses its plasticity at some point.

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2. Significant brain development occurs during early childhood as 75% of the brain develops during the first 6 years of life. ECCD represents a wide opportunity for lifetime development and a cost-effective way to prevent health and social problems later in life compared to performing remedial measures later on. The increasing number of for-profit preschools is promising but this might lead to the marginalization of children in difficult, disadvantaged areas if not regulated. The implication of all these issues is that there is a need to recognize, involve and engage other stakeholders besides the Ministry of Education in matters concerning the care and development of young children towards improving the impact of all these institutions on human development. The capacities of families and communities as carers and educators need to be developed. Public-Private Partnership is highly important in improving quality and equity which cannot be divorced from each other.

3. Part of the delivery of ECCD is the use of mother tongue since this is the language at home and communities.

4. In the delivery of ECCD and basic education programs, there is a need to consider children who are often times victims of disasters and conflict. There is also a need to ensure that day care centers and schools are zones of peace.

5. To improve access to education, we cannot rely only on government to finance the ECCD programs. Engage the private sector and the NGOs to help in the financing. It takes a village after all to educate a child.

Asec. Mateo then shared other financing schemes being implemented in the Philippines such as the national and local government counterparting scheme (where 50% of costs of building a classroom is shouldered by the national government while the other half is shouldered by the local government) and the Adopt-a-School program (where private sector is enjoined to provide support to schools and gets a tax shield in exchange).


Open Forum

Other issues that were discussed during the open discussion:

On the Areas to be Prioritized if Additional Investments Come In

• If the Ministry is given an additional budget for ECCD, how should the Ministry use it? What should be the priority areas? These questions were put forth in light of the limited resources and the need to get the maximum return from these resources.

• In Indonesia, there was a recent initiative to establish agreements with 21 provinces and 50 districts to put ECE into local strategic plans. Four main domains need to be considered in the budget, namely, nutrition, learning, cooperation with management, and renovation.

On the Multi-Agency/ Stakeholder Approach to ECCD

• In a set-up where multiple stakeholders are providing resources and governance of ECCD, it is crucial that no duplication or wastage occurs and that there is efficient complementation of resources towards creating the maximum impact. It begs the question: how should the coordination be done to achieve maximum efficiency and impact?

• In the case of Malaysia, the programs for children are spread out among the different ministries. Coordinating all these remains to be a challenge. The National Technical Working Group on EFA Goal 1 is also a multi-sectoral initiative where the different stakeholders have come together to discuss and make sure that their roles and responsibilities do not overlap. The NKRA also talks about public-private partnerships.

• In Brunei, children with special needs are handled under a multi-sectoral approach as well. From birth to 3 years old, the Ministry of Health takes care of their needs while clinical psychologists and pediatricians are invited to assess the needs of the students. Once children have reached preschool, educational psychologists will be invited. The individual educational training is handled by the Ministry of Education; the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports takes charge of the equipment, and the Ministry of Health is responsible for the medical part. A meeting is held every month to ensure that the children’s needs are taken cared of.

• In Indonesia, an ECE Forum exists but it is not structured. It has a coordinator, and it consists of different ministries such as education, health, social welfare and religious affair. For instance, the MOE handles the education part while the Ministry of Religious Affairs handles the

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education related to Islamic studies. Although they are still trying to appoint a lead agency for this, the Ministry of Community Welfare, at the moment, is considered to be the lead sector on ECCD matters.

• In the Philippines, the lead coordinating agency is the ECCD Council which gathers all the other departments together to meet monthly. For instance, under this set-up, the Department of Education takes care of the 5-year old; the Department of Social Welfare and Development handles those below 5; and the academe takes charge of capacity-building activities.

• Asec. Mateo believed that the idea that the delivery of education is the responsibility of only the Ministry of Education is not correct. Other government agencies and civil society organizations need to help the MOE put across the message that the education sector is in crisis. A concerted effort will contribute to a stronger call for more resources that would help meet the EFA and MDG goals.

• In Thailand, while the ministries and the private sector are aware of a capital resource crisis in ECCD, moving forward has not been an easy task. The key success factor might be marketing or advocacy or how to get more people, especially from the communities, to participate and become more involved.

• Dr. Ng remarked that while it is true that education is not just the task of MOE, there should still be a lead agency on this. The lead agency should consciously involve the other sectors in decision-making. At the same time, the lead should be visible.

Day 3: 30 March 2011

Health and ECCDDr. Bella MonseExecutive DirectorFit for School, Inc. Centre for International Migration and Development

Dr. Monse gave a brief talk and shared a video about Fit for School’s Philippine school health program, its focus on daily skills-based activities rather than health education, the active involvement of non-health professionals (teachers), and the use of the existing structure of the school system. Their program “Garantisadong Pambata” targets preschool


children in particular and focuses on hygienic habits that are usually neglected. This neglect has led to common but preventable conditions like tooth decay and intestinal worming which have have become an accepted reality even if these have been known to impact much on the quality of life of children. To prevent these from happening, simple, low-cost interventions like handwashing, deworming, and brushing teeth can be introduced and made part of a child’s routine and habit. Establishing these practices while they are still in the critical and formative stages of preschool is necessary.

Dr. Monse discussed as well their program’s major achievements, key success factors and the strategies to bridge the gaps between policy and reality.

(See Annex A1 for the powerpoint presentation.)

Workshop Discussion

Two groups were formed, with each group represented by one country representative. Each group answered four questions. Their answers are summarized below:

1. What specific actions will you undertake to ignite/nurture/and sustain what you have learned from the three-day forum?

• Empower local communities to build on their own trustworthy culture and beliefs regarding ECCE

• Nurture the capacity of ECCE workers, including local ECCE workers• Enculture the importance of ECCE through family, schools, university,

making each stakeholder understand his/her responsibility and need to contribute

• Encourage specific groups (e.g., geographical clan) to network and plan for ECCE

• Develop specific policy and national plan for ECCE in each country• Increase cooperation among multi-agency stakeholders. Create a regular

forum or meeting for discussion on ECCE in each country.• Encourage top-level decision-makers to promote ECCE. Expose them to

ECCE.• Advocate for increase in national budget plan.• Continuous training for ECD workers/teachers to keep them updated

with new information• Involve local experts, NGOs, international and national organizations,

ministries in jointly developing ECCD policies• Organize national conferences to get information and ideas from

stakeholders.• Organize a socialization session for MOE officials from the different

departments to create common understandings of ECCE; advocate for the need for quality ECCE.

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• Get external/ international experts to talk to the national stakeholders.• Ensure ECCE teachers adopt the philosophy of ECCE.• Build early learning standards.• Learn ECD experience from other countries.• Importance of mother tongue; allow teachers to teach using mother

tongue, possibility of policy change• Advocate for a National Committee on Early Care and Education

involving stakeholders from various Ministries and agencies, chaired by Prime Minister.

• Involve more academia into planning of national ECCE programs to reduce gap between training of ECCE educators and caretakers and the programs.

• Plan for continuation of ECCD programs from school to home. • Embrace innovation in approaches in ECCE setting, e.g., preschool classes.• Develop appropriate instructional materials.• Share the insights with the ECE stakeholders/agencies as well as with the

decission-maker. ‘What’ can be implemented immediately (have to adjust with the local needs)?

• Identify lead agency (ECCE council?)• After listening from other countries and armed with the lessons learned,

the next step is to raise the issues of capacity building and bigger budget for the ECCE program.

2. What do you think are the policies and programs that need to be defined/developed further?

• Assessment• Transition between home and center and vice versa• Operational mechanism for smooth implementation of existing ECD

policy • Create programs/ curriculum oriented to ECCE for children of all ages up

to universities. Involve students of all ages to think about what and how they can assist in ECCE.

• Advocacy for quality childcare and early childhood education (to the policymakers and public)

• Create specific teacher-training courses on ECCE at the university level.• Engage parents, community and family members in ECD programs.• Using of early learning standards• Policies are in place but the implementation needs to improve (make the

priorities)• More advocacy on ECCE, including the public-private partnership (PPP)• Policy on community involvement (maternity leave)• Equip the ECCD teachers with necessary competencies through

investments in trainings. • Complements structural ECCD with home-based/ informal ECCD


3. What programs may we develop as a region to promote quality, relevant, and effective ECCE?

• Explore and develop alternative perspectives of assessment of ECCE, e.g., family involvement, use qualitative data

• Assessment of ECCE programs needs to take into consideration the contextual aspects of the target groups

• Assessment for the very young children• Sharing best practices through inter-country apprenticeship/attachment

programs• Advocacy to governments on ECCE• Minimum standards of teacher professional qualification• Quality indicators for good ECCE programs for the region• Regional seminar on how to use ELDS for curriculum development and

monitoring• Sharing of ECCE experience through SEAMEO website• A center/place for training• A model for ECCE • A dedicated SEAMEO center for ECCE

4. What opportunities and support system do you need from MOE and other stakeholders? • Commitment and willingness to work together• Joint research with the MOE to tackle ECCE issues• Identify influential personality as the ECCE champion of the country/

Having a ‘Champion’ (MoE)• Increase the number of ECD teachers intake• To approve a holistic ECCE policy soon• To provide the National ECCE framework• Need the proper budget

Comments from the Reactors

Dr. Yolanda Quijano of the Philippine Department of Education and Dr. Teresita Inciong of the Philippine ECCD Council gave brief reactions on the workshop presentations. They congratulated the groups for their outputs. The common thread among the outputs, it was noted, was the need to work together and to continue close coordination and sharing of what each country is doing and will be doing in the area of ECCD. There was also a reminder to seriously consider addressing the gap in programs among the 0-2 year olds.

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Other Matters

Closing Ceremony

The first part of the closing ceremony was the sharing of insights about the forum. Mr. Nugroho Indera Warman (Indonesia), Dr. Ng Soo Boon (Malaysia) and Dr. Nichara Ruangdaraganon (Thailand) gave brief comments about what they felt and thought regarding the forum. The need to be open-minded and to work together more was underscored. Countries were urged to adopt a regional framework for their ECCD programs. All three participants expressed their gratitude for the hospitality and professionalism shown by the SEAMEO INNOTECH staff.

The second part consisted of the closing messages from the three institutions which co-organized this regional forum. Undersecretary Yolanda Quijano of DepEd, Dr. Teresita Inciong of the ECCD Council and Dr. Ramon Bacani of SEAMEO INNOTECH all thanked the participants and resource speakers for their inputs and contributions. The following were underscored in their messages: the need to match our pronouncements about ECCD with actual investments, the need for further collaborations and discussions on issues such as the proposed SEAMEO Center on ECCD, and the importance of giving more serious attention to 0-2/3 year-old children.

The third and last part of the closing ceremony was the distribution of the certificates to the participants.

Social Support Services Provided to the Participants

SEAMEO INNOTECH transport services were provided to pick up the participants upon arrival at the NAIA Terminal I, and to bring them to the International House (IH) and back to the airport at the end of the course. Same services were provided to them for the outside trips such as dinner at Zamboanga and mall shoppings.

Participants were billeted at the SEAMEO INNOTECH International House in single deluxe airconditioned rooms with cable television, telephone and free internet access. Phone cards (for local and overseas calls) were also available at the IH front desk.

Participants were given workshop bags containing the materials, references, Orientation Booklet and pen. The Orientation Booklet includes information introducing the participants to SEAMEO INNOTECH, the Philippines, and the Philippine culture.


Program Evaluation

To ensure high quality of services, participants were requested to complete an End-of-Regional Consultation Forum Feedback Form to assess the forum proceedings, performance of staff and resource speakers, and the logistics.

The result of the evaluation indicates very satisfied participants, most particularly with the forum management which garnered an excellent rating of 4.64 in a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest. For the forum organization and delivery, the rating is 4.38 or very satisfactory, while the administrative support services got a rating of 4.40 or very satisfactory. The overall rating of the regional consultation forum is 4.63 indicating excellence.

(See Annex A2 for the detailed results of the End-of-Regional Consultation Forum Evaluation.)

Acknowledgements

SEAMEO INNOTECH would like to thank the Philippine Department of Education for entrusting the Center with this project. We would also like to acknowledge the contributions of the Philippine ECCD Council and ARNEC in making this Regional Forum a successful one.

SEAMEO INNOTECH also extends its appreciation to the Ministries of Education of the SEAMEO member countries for their meaningful and active support to this project, as well as to the resource speakers and delegates from the different parts of the region, without whose substantive participation and involvement, this Forum would not have come to fruition.

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