A Letter of Sub-Sector Policy Outlining Policies That Will Be Implemented As a Result Of

A Letter of Sub-sector Policy outlining policies that will be implemented as a result of the project has been submitted to IDA by the Government of Kenya

Republic of Kenya
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
23rd May,1996

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT PROJECT LETTER OF
SECTORAL POLICY

GENERAL POLICY FRAMEWORK
2. The Government regards education as an indispensable tool for improving human resource development to enable it to meet more easily the development challenge which in its broadest sense is the improvement of the quality of life. The National Development Plan emphasizes strategies such as linking education and training at all levels with national development and offering education that provides necessary skills to promote higher human productivity; ensuring efficiency, relevance and cost effectiveness in national human resource development and training efforts; assuring overall training needs in various sectors of the economy; providing equal opportunities for education to every Kenyan, etc. as effective tools for meeting the challenge of development. Our human resource include the youth who in Kenya, comprise about half of the population, and about one third of the population, is children under six years of age. Their education, care and development is provided through the early childhood care and education programme. Since the sixth National Development Plan period (1989-1993), the Early Childhood Development concept was expanded to incorporate children under three years of age and focus on such aspects as their health, nutrition and care.

3. The Seventh National Development Plan (1994-1996) seeks the provision of sustained Early Childhood Development for all children and expansion of training for respective personnel and other skills related to Early Childhood Development.

Early Childhood Care and Education Policy

4. The Ministry of Education (MOB) assumed the responsibility of coordinating early childhood development in 1980. The Ministry is charged with the responsibility of the registration, supervision, training, staffing, curriculum development and the formulation of policy guideline for Early Childhood Development.

5. The policy of the sub-sector has evolved over the last decade. Important aspects of the policy are articulated in the Sessional Paper No. 6 of 1986 and National Development Plans (1989/93, 1994/1996). The government underscores the importance of partnership which facilitates coordination between parents, communities, non-governmental organizations (NGO) and bi-lateral donors in the implementation of the early childhood development programme. The policy also emphasizes the need to provide integrated services that meet the social, emotional, cognitive, health, nutrition, care and protection of children. The government intends to support communities and families acquire relevant information. and skills as well as develop self -reliance to be able to provide a sound foundation for their children during the early years. The outreach to the family is necessary given that children have no access to institutionalized basic care and education. This approach takes cognisance of the changes in the family structure due to monetization of the economy and the increased participation of women in the labour force.

6. In recognition of the recommendations of the three World forums namely: the Convention of the Rights of the Child (1989), World Summit for Children (1990), and the World Conference on Education For Al (EFA) (1990), the Kenya Government has increased the integrated approach which allows the participation of a wider spectrum of service providers.

7. The current objective of the government is to strengthen the family in child care, improve the Early Childhood Development centres, improve their quality and expand access particularly to children of disadvantaged households and marginalized communities.

8. There has been a remarkable expansion of the early childhood care and education centres since the inception of the programme in the early 1980s. The number of pre-school centers reached 2O086 in 1995 and the enrollment doubled from 485,000 children in 1982 to nearly one million in 1995. Nearly 80% of these centres are organized and managed by parents' associations, and the rest are sponsored by religious organizations, local authorities, NGOs and the private sector. However, more than two thirds of children between ages 3-6 years do not have access to these services, and poorer households are less likely than others to benefit from existing services.

9. The level of government budgetary allocation for preschool education is relatively low i.e. less than one per cent of the Ministry of Education budget. The bulk of investments in ECD are borne by parents whose budgets are increasingly being squeezed by competing household expenditures. The government and donors (such as Bernard van Leer Foundation, UNICEF and the Aga Khan Foundation) provide support for care-giver / teacher training, curriculum and materials development, community mobilization and monitoring. The low level of overall public and household funding for this sub-sector has resulted in (1) low access to the ECD services, particularly for the lowest income group (2) wide variations in the quality of physical facilities, teacher/care-givers, and services and (3) inadequate monitoring and supervision.

10. The present ECD programme is administered through three sections of the Ministry of Education. These are: (1) the pre-school section of the Directorate of Education which handles administrative matters related to centres, coordination with donors and NGOs, policy guidelines, and inter-sectoral liaison pertaining to children's protection, care, health and nutrition; (2) the National Centre for Early Childhood Education (NACECE) at the Kenya Institute of Education which is responsible for training of care-givers and teachers and developing of curriculum; and (3) the preschool section of the Inspectorate department which is responsible for the maintenance and monitoring of standards of the programme.

11. In order to increase participation of various partners at the grassroots level, MOE decentralized the programme by establishing the District Centers for Early Childhood Education (DICECE). These are responsible for training of pre-school teachers, developing localized curriculum, mobilizing parents, communities and sponsors. Currently, the government has established DICECE in 57 Districts of the Republic.

Sub-Sector Policy Reform

12. A central objective of Government policy is to strengthen the present early childhood centres, improve their quality, and expand access to those segments of society currently unable to have early childhood development services. To achieve this objective, the government will use its machinery to increase the availability of ECD services, with priority to those children from disadvantaged households, in slums and marginal areas of the country. The development of Early Childhood Development rests in large measure on policies designed to improve the efficiency and equity in the allocation and use of the programme resources as well as on policies designed to ensure sustainability. The sub-sector policies to be implemented within the project time shall include the following:

Increased budgetary allocation
Expansion -and harmonization of the training programmes for teachers/care-givers and trainers.
Strengthening the capacity of school committees to provide quality programmes
Improve access of ECD services to the poor - Strengthening the management of the ECD programmes from the DICECE to the National level
Developing guidelines for linkage between pre-school to primary school
Provide support to the family, particularly in the care of children under three years
Definition of an ECD Centre within the broadened concept of ECD - Development of guidelines for basic services for pre-schools
Guidance on the terms and conditions of service for ECD teachers and other personnel
Definition of the role of other partners
Budgetary Allocation

12.1 Annual Budgetary allocations for the various sub-sectors of the Ministry are progressively undergoing adjustments, with a view to reduce government financial commitment to tertiary institutions and increase allocations to pre-primary, primary and secondary education. This policy will ensure that budgetary allocation for Early Childhood Development will be at the level that can sustain programmes to be initiated under the proposed IDA Credit upon its expiry. Budgetary allocation for ECD in the MOE budget would be increased to at least 1.0% of the recurrent MOE budget at expiry of the IDA Credit. The IDA funded ECD project will be reflected the public Investment Programme for 1995/96-1997/98 and shall be categorized as a "core project" within the MOE budgetary al1ocation priorities.

Training of Pre-School Teachers and Care-givers

12 .2 Training of pre-school teachers shall remain in the main responsibility of NACECE and, at the district level, will be implemented through the DICECEs. The government will subsidize the training of teachers. The cost-sharing policy of the training of pre-school teachers shall continue. The full cost of training for shall be charged to those individuals who are able to pay. All training programmes shall be conducted in existing training facilities, such as the Primary Teacher Training Colleges, secondary schools and other government institutions in order to maximize use of the present training centres.

Building the capacity of Pre-School Committees

12.3 Community management capacity is key to ensuring sustainability and quality of Early Childhood Development centres. The capacity of pre-school parents' committees with a structured management comprising of a chairperson, secretary and treasurer shall be enhanced through training. In the case of Early Childhood Development centres attached to primary schools, skills training will be provided to pre-school committees through the head teacher. The primary school committee must however be the representation of the pre-school teachers and parents. In unlinked schools, other facilities will be identified for this role.

Improving Access to the Poor

12.4 Support grants shall be provided to Early Childhood Development centres in targeted districts based on a set of defined criteria, including poverty, health and education indicators equity considerations. Criteria for receipt of support grants will depend on demonstrated ability to generate whatever funds and resources through school fees or other contributions. Grants which will be made available to these committees could be used towards the improvement of the Early Childhood Development centre, including salary of teachers, care-givers, health and nutrition services, and improvement of facilities and materials.

Strengthening in DICECE

12.5 DICECE will be strengthened to enable them (a) to meet their training responsibilities and (b) to manage other Early Childhood Development project components such as community capacity building and mobilization, health and nutrition and community support grants. Each DICECE will have a minimum of 6 trainers including special pilot activity coordinators as necessary. The DICECE will also receive other infrastructural support.

Coordination at Central Level

12.6 The project will receive overall policy and strategic direction from an inter-sectoral National Early Childhood Development implementation Committee (NECDIC) chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education. An inter-sectoral District Early Childhood Development Implementation Committee (DECDIC) will be constituted at the district level with the District Education officer as the chairman. The preprimary education section in the Ministry will be strengthened and the Head will be named Project Coordinator. The project coordinator will (a) be Secretary of the NECDIC; (b) facilitate project coordination implementation and monitoring project progress; and (c) handle the project's administrative requirements.

Policy on the Under 3-year Old Children

12.7 The first three years of life is a crucial phase in physical, social and mental development of the child. At present, a number of children in this age group are attending Early Childhood Development centres especially in poor urban areas and in plantations where the traditional family support systems are not available. Strategies for developing alternative models for very young children and enhancing parenting skills for this age group will be developed.

Teaching Philosophy in LowerPrimary School

12.8 The transition from pre-primary school to primary school is made difficult for young children due to vast differences in teaching curriculum and methodologies. Linkages need to be established between pre-schools and the lower primary classes. Primary school teachers need to be supported with orientation and appropriate materials to make the first years in the primary school friendly for the new entrants.

Defining the role of other partners :

12.9 The MOE will cooperate with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Culture and Social Services; Local authorities and other relevant partners within the GOK in the implementation of Early Childhood Development services. The MOE will strengthen on-going partnerships with donors such as Bernard van Leer, Aga Khan Foundation and UNICEF and explore new partnerships. NGOs will be invited to participate in the project and contracted to assist the piloting of innovative models such as community grants and health and nutrition services via ECD centres and assist in mobilizing other resources for Early Childhood Development in Kenya.

Conclusion

13. The Policy implementation and institutional support described above will enhance the continuous adaptation and effectiveness of the Early Childhood Development programmes.

Source: Annex A; Staff Appraisal Report, Report No. 15426-KE; Republic of Kenya; Early Childhood Development Project; March 10, 1997