1. Early childhood care and education
Strong foundations
Early childhood care and education
Presentation to the sixth
High Level Group on EFA
Cairo 15 November 2006

2. Evidence and analysis for policy and action
About the Report
Evidence and analysis for policy and action
Prepared by an independent team based at UNESCO Paris
Funded by nine bilateral donors, advised by an editorial board
Charts progress toward the six EFA goals
Assesses aid to education
Highlights effective policies and practices to accelerate progress
Draws attention to emerging challenges
Four reports since 2002:
Overall trends
Gender
Quality
Literacy 1

3. Education for All Dakar Goals and Millennium Development Goals
EFA Goals
MDGs
Expand and improve comprehensive early childhood care and education
Universal primary education by 2015
Learning and life skills programmes for youth and adults
50% increase in adult literacy rates by 2015
Gender parity by 2005 and gender equality by 2015
Improving quality of education
Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Achieve universal primary education
Promote gender equality and empower women
Reduce child mortality, and other health goals
No country in need should be denied international assistance 2

4. EFA: Where do we stand?
Out of 125 countries, 47 have achieved the EFA goals.
Countries showing the greatest progress are in the lowest scoring group
Excludes many countries far from goals, e.g. those in conflict
Far from EFA
(EDI below 0.80)
Intermediate position
(EDI between
0.80 and 0.94)
EFA achieved or close
0.95 and 1.00) 50 28 2 18 1 3 6 11 4 8 19 47 15 17
Sub-Saharan Africa
Arab States
Central Asia
East Asia/Pacific
South and West Asia
N. America /West. Europe
Latin America/Caribbean
Central/Eastern Europe
The EFA Development Index (EDI), introduced in the 2003/4 Report, provides a summary measure of a country’s situation vis-à-vis four EFA goals: universal primary education (UPE), adult literacy, gender and quality of education. The data are insufficiently standardized to include early childhood care and education (goal 1) and the learning needs of youth and adults (goal 3). Each of the four goals is represented by a proxy indicator.[1] The EDI is a simple average of the four indicators; it varies between 0 and 1, with 1 representing EFA achievement.
[1] UPE: total primary net enrolment ratio; adult literacy: literacy rate for persons aged 15 and over; gender parity and equality: the gender-specific EFA index; quality of education: survival rate to grade 5.
Pages 64 and 65 of full report
The index includes 125 countries with data – countries missing because they do not have data for the four indicators
Total 3

5. Education finance: A mixed picture
Number of countries where public expenditure on education as % of GNP has:
Fadila:
Decreased Increased – d majuscule, I majuscule
Decreased ( dans une autre couleur
Pour racourcir:
South/W.Asia
Lat. Am/Carrib.
N. America/W. Europe
Central/East. Europe ou E. Europe
106 countries have data for 1999 and 2004.
Public spending on education as share of GNP increased in two-thirds of 106 countries with 1999 and 2004 data, in some cases by 30% or more.
Share fell in Latin America in 12 out of 21 countries with data, and South and West Asia (three out of five with data) 41 65 4

6. Aid to basic education: On the increase
Total aid to basic education in low-income countries almost doubled from 2000 to 2004
Total aid to education
Total aid to basic education
$1.8 billion in 2000 to $3.4 billion in 2004 in low-income countries
reaching the EFA goals will cost $11 billion.
Constant 2003 US$ billions 5

7. More and more children are starting school
1999
2004 80
100
120
140
Arab States
Central/East.
Europe
N. America/
West. Europe
East Asia/
Pacific
Central Asia
Sub-Saharan
Africa
Latin America/
Caribbean
South/West
Asia
Gross intake rate
in primary education (%)
Sharp increases in Grade 1 access in Sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia
Enrolment is not attendance
Attendance is not learning
See page 25 – 30% in SSA, rates of expansion rapid in Ethiopia, Guinea, Madagascar, the Niger and United Republic of Tanzania.
More muted progress in Arab States except Yemen (+57%)
Almost all countries with NERs below 85% in 1999 improved their situation 6

8. 77 million children still not in school
Half in sub-Saharan Africa
One-third in India, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Ethiopia
Drop of 20 million since 1999, mainly in South Asia
60% never enroll, 31% enroll late, 9% enroll but drop out
The 77 million figure includes children who are not enrolled in either primary or secondary school. Previous measures cited in the report looked at out of primary school only.
Who’s out of school: rural, poor uneducated mother
Important to note large reduction in India between 2002 and 2004
Offsetting poverty and disadvantage
Abolish school fees
Grants and scholarships for marginalized groups
Better opportunities for the disabled; mainstreaming
Incentives and community-based efforts to overcome need for child labour
Early childhood programmes
Mother tongue instruction
Second chances
Bridging programmes for youth and adults lacking formal schooling
Youth and adult literacy programmes
Programmes in post-conflict situations
Policies to overcome barriers to education are in place in many
countries but need to be expanded 7

9. Too few pupils complete primary school
In addition to increasing access, improving retention is a key to reducing out-of-school children 20 40 60 80
100
Rwanda
Burundi
Lesotho
Madagascar
Ghana
Swaziland
Benin
Niger
Togo
Eritrea
Mali
Cape Verde
Cameroon
Mauritius
Mauritania
Morocco
Saudi
Algeria
Lebanon
Oman
Kuwait
Mongolia
Azerbaijan
Tajikistan
Kazakhstan
Lao P. D.
Myanmar
Nepal
Bangladesh
Nicaragua
Ecuador
Guatemala
Colombia
Panama
Bolivia
Dominica
Costa Rica
Barbados
Belarus
Survival rates to last grade (%)
Cohort completion rates (%)
Est-il possible de retourner le graphique à la verticale??
Survival rates to last grade: the median for developing countries is below 80%
Survival rates close to or above 90% in most Arab States except Mauritania (69%) and Morocco (76%) and Yemen (67%)
LAC: less than 83% in majority of countries despite high level of access and school completion
SSA: fewer than two-thirds of students reach the last grade in a majority of countries
SWA: School retention low in several countries with data available (Bangladesh and Nepal for ex). 8

10. Needed: more trained teachers
Slight improvement in pupil-teacher ratios in most regions between 1999 and 2004
Only slight increase in % of trained teachers
Sub-Saharan Africa needs to recruit at least 1.6 million more teachers to reach UPE by 2015
Serious shortages in rural areas
Too few female teachers in countries with low enrolment of girls 9

11. Secondary under pressure
Participation increasing, mainly at lower secondary level
Large gaps between lower and upper secondary in some regions 30 51 73 66 86 90
101 40 80
120
Sub-Saharan Africa
South/West Asia
East Asia/Pacific
Arab States
Lat. America/
Caribbean
Central Asia
Central/East.
Europe
N. America/
West. Europe
Gross enrolment ratio 2004 (%)
Lower secondary
Total secondary
Upper secondary 10

12. Progress towards gender parity
About two-thirds of countries out of 181 with data have achieved gender parity in primary education
Only one-third of countries have achieved parity at the secondary level
Gender parity
Primary education
0.7
0.8
0.9
1.0
1.1
GPI in GER
Sub-Saharan
Arab States
South/West
Latin America
Centr./East.
N. America/
Central Asia
East Asia/
Africa
Asia
Caribbean
Europe
West. Europe
Pacific
Gender parity
0.7
0.8
0.9
1.0
1.1
1999
2004
Secondary education
GPI in GER
Centr./East.
Sub-Saharan
Arab States
South/West
Latin America
N. America/
Central Asia
East Asia/
Africa
Asia
Caribbean
Europe
West. Europe
Pacific 11

13. Literacy remains elusive
One in five adults – 781 million – lack basic literacy skills
The vast majority live in South and West Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia
The increase since 2004 (771 million) due to previously unavailable data for Afghanistan and changes in population estimates
Two thirds of adult illiterates are women – one in four adults 12

14. Tackling disadvantage
Poverty keeps children out of school
Offsetting poverty and disadvantage
Abolish school fees
Grants, scholarships and cash transfers for marginalized groups
Better opportunities for the disabled; mainstreaming
Incentives and community-based efforts to overcome need for child labour
Early childhood programmes
Mother tongue instruction
Second chances
Bridging programmes for youth and adults lacking formal schooling
Youth and adult literacy programmes
Programmes in post-conflict situations
Policies to overcome barriers to education are in place in many
countries but need to be expanded
The number of children out of school in the poorest 20% of household is more than triple than in the richest.
Burundi abolished primary school fees in 2005; 500,000 additional children arrived to enrol on the first day of school.
In Swaziland, which has the world’s highest prevalence of HIV and AIDS, the government allocated US$7.5 million in 2004 to orphans and other vulnerable children attending primary and secondary education. Enrolment has remained steady and dropout decreased.
Brazil’s Bolsa Familia (formerly Bolsa Escola) programme provides income support to poor families based on conditions such as school attendance. The programme reaches over 5 million children.
The Baljyothi programme in Andhra Pradesh, the state with largest number of working children in India, runs 250 schools (31,000 students) located in slums. The programme is a successful example of government-NGO collaboration.
The Gambia Girls’ Scholarship Trust Fund provides full scholarships for tuition, books and examination fees to one-third of girls in schools with low enrolment and to 10% of girls excelling in science, mathematics and technology. More than 16,000 girls are taking part.
The Educatodos programme in Honduras targets students and adults who have not completed nine years of basic education. Half a million students are enrolled in the primary school programme. Highlights are easily accessible learning centres, relevant content, flexible schedules and strong community support.In Uruguay a special inclusive education fund assists regular schools in integrating children with disabilities. Some 39,000 children have benefited. 13

15. The ECCE imperative: Young children under threat
Child born in developing world has 40% chance of living in extreme poverty
Poverty keeps millions of children out of school
31% of children in developing countries moderately or severely stunted
10.5 million under-5 children die each year, most from preventable diseases
High under-5 mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa and South/West Asia
Each day 1,800 children infected with HIV
Children in emergency, conflict and post-conflict situations highly vulnerable
High under 5 mortality rate in SSA: 176 children per 1,000 live births, 101 in South and West Asia
More than one-quarter of children under 5 in sub-Saharan Africa are moderately or severely underweight 14

16. ECCE: strong foundations
“Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children”
Rights UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Development Poverty reduction and the MDG health and education goals
Education Future participation and achievement
Equity Reducing social inequality
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely ratified human rights treaty
Commits countries to guarantee survival, protection and care of children
Vulnerable and disadvantaged children: countries may have different definitions. Includes children with physical, emotional and learning disabilities; Children in emergencies; Working children in exploitative conditions; Malnourished and undernourished children; Street children, orphans, children in institutions; Children affected by HIV/AIDS; Linguistic, ethnic, cultural minority and indigenous; Migrant and nomad children; Unregistered children 15

17. Thinking comprehensively
Holistic programmes encompass:
Nutrition
Nutrition
Health and hygiene
Physical and emotional development
Social skills
Education 16

18. Early childhood, nutrition and education
Nutrition and Education Reinforce Each Other
Early Childhood Participation Improves Later Education
Iron, nutrition, deworming and psycho-social stimulation impact on learning
Combining nutrition and education has larger and longer-lasting impact
Access to primary school
Retention in primary school
Lower repetition
Better language development
Higher achievement 17

19. Acting early pays off
‘It is a rare public policy initiative that promotes fairness and social justice and at the same time promotes productivity in the economy and in society at large. Investing in disadvantaged young children is such a policy.’
James Heckman, Nobel economics prizewinner
Most rigorous studies on benefits come from developed countries
U.S. High/Scope Perry study of low-income African-American children
higher IQ at age 5
enhanced success at school
higher earning at age 40
High returns to programmes in India, Egypt, Colombia, Bolivia
Returns greatest for poorest and most disadvantaged children
High/Scope Perry study carried out in the 1960s. A longitudinal study that followed participants and a control group through to age 40 18

20. A diverse field Ages 0 to 2 Ages 3+ Providers Ages 0 to 8
Support to parents / Parental leave
Organized / non-formal care and education
Ages 0 to 8
Informal provision by parents or extended family, at home, family or community settings
Ages 3+
Pre-primary and non-formal education for 3+
Providers
Governments
Private Sector (high private provision in Africa and Arab States, relatively high in Latin America/Caribbean)
NGOs
Community-based organizations 19

21. Programmes for the under-3s
Many countries lack programmes addressing health, nutrition, care and education of the under 3s, a critical period in the child’s life
Countries with at least one formal programme for children under 3 in 2005 (%) 20

22. Regional trends in pre-primary
A three-fold increase in pre-primary enrolments over 30 years
More than 1 in 3 children now enrolled but huge regional differences
Developed/transition countries
Latin America/Caribbean
East Asia/Pacific
South and West Asia
Arab States
Sub-Saharan Africa
The dotted line signifies a break in the data series (new classification). See chapter 6.
Low participation in sub-Saharan Africa, South/West Asia, and Arab States 21

23. Poverty limits access Higher attendance for children from20 40 60 80
Niger
D. R. Congo
U. R. Tanzania
Lao PDR
Tajikistan
Uganda
Rwanda
Senegal
Egypt
Bolivia
Myanmar
Azerbaijan
Madagascar
Sierra Leone
Philippines
Cameroon
Kenya
Nicaragua
Mongolia
Haiti
Lesotho
India
Venezuela
Viet Nam
Colombia
Trinidad/Tobago
Attendance rates (%)
Higher attendance
for children from
richer households
Lower attendance
among poor who
would benefit most
Attendance rates for three and four year olds.
Poverty Large gaps in access between richest and poorest households
Lack of mother’s secondary education
Place of residence Rural enrolment 10 to 30 percentage points lower than urban
Lack of centre close to home
Lack of birth certificate, often reflecting marginalization
Disadvantaged and vulnerable children stand to benefit most from early childhood programmes
Poorer households
Richer households 22

24. pre-primary education
The gender factor
Gender parity line
0.8
0.9
1.0
1.1
Arab States
Central/East.
Europe
Central Asia
East Asia/
Pacific
South/West
Asia
N. America/
West. Europe
Sub-Saharan
Africa
Latin America/
Caribbean
The gender gap in early childhood programme enrolments is small in most countries
Programmes relieve older sisters from caring for the youngest, a common barrier to girls’ schooling
Programmes can promote positive gender socialization
Most children enrolled from wealthier households
Promoting positive gender socialization through curricula, teaching styles and attitudes, learning materials
GPI in GER in
pre-primary education 23

25. Early childhood is still not a priority in many developing countries
Why the policy neglect?
Early childhood is still not a priority in many developing countries
Slow response to social and economic trends
Role of the family vs role of the state
Diversity of sector makes coordination difficult
Child development research results not well known
Lack of rigorous studies in developing countries
Governments prioritize primary education
International aid focuses on other education levels 24

26. Strong policies for young children
Policy Environment
Policy Elements
Staffing, training and standards for all providers
Explicit provision for disadvantaged and vulnerable
Partnerships: NGOs, private sector and international agencies
Financing: higher spending, targeting and more aid
Top-level political endorsement
A national early childhood policy grouping multiple players
A lead agency to coordinate early childhood policies
Integration in national development plans and PRSPs 25

27. Quality: what is needed
The quality of interaction between carer and child is the single most important determinant of programme success
Involving parents
Parental education, including women’s literacy
Community programmes supporting young children and families
More engagement in formal programmes (parents as resource people)
Continuity between home, ECCE and primary school
School readiness and ready schools
Better training and support for ECCE staff
Minimum standards covering private and public providers
Promoting inclusion
cultural diversity and gender equality
mother tongue learning
children with disabilities and other special needs 26

28. Financing ECCE: Finding the balance
How to allocate limited resources to children most in need?
Funding is public and private
Less than 10% of public education spending goes to pre-primary
Even in OECD countries, parents’ share can run up to 60%
Universal coverage + extra support to disadvantaged children (OECD)
Income targeting
Geographical targeting (remote areas,urban slums)
Targeting specific groups: disabled, those in emergency situations
A universal policy with targeted spending on most disadvantaged? 27

29. ECCE: A low priority for donors
Almost all donors allocate to pre-primary less than 10% of what they give to primary Bilateral donors give priority to centre- based programmes for children from age 3
Si tu pouvais enlever Austria et Greece
Dans la légende, Aid to ECCE
Austria and Greece are excluded. See main report figure xx 28

30. Aid for EFA Different donors, different priorities
Five donors contribute 72% of all bilateral aid to education
Several donors give high priority to education, but not to the basic level 29

31. EFA: An aid gap remains Required each year to reach EFA
Current aid
Aid in 2010 if 2005 pledges met
Constant 2003 US$ billions
Role of the Fast Track Initiative? 30

32. Resolve and responsibility for the EFA agenda
Comprehensive: all the goals matter
Urgency: stepping up political commitment
Inclusion: reaching vulnerable and disadvantged
Financing: higher spending on basic education
Early childhood: setting strong foundations 31

33. EFA Global Monitoring Report Team
Contact Information
EFA Global Monitoring Report Team
c/o UNESCO
7, place de Fontenoy
75352 Paris 07
France