Regional Perspective“State of ECCE in Asia and the Pacific:

Challenges and Prospects”

Gwang-Jo Kim, DirectorUNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education

Asia-Pacific Regional Policy Forum on ECCE10-12 September 2013

Seoul, Republic of Korea

I. IntroductionI.1 Asia and the Pacific at a glanceI.2 Demographic ChangeI.3 Female labour participationI.4 ECCE as a global and national development agenda

II. State of young children in Asia and the PacificII.1 Survival and well-beingII.2 Pre-primary education: participation and qualityII.3 FinancingII.4 Service delivery

III. Opportunities and ChallengesIII.1 Public awarenessIII.2 Policy coordinationIII.3 Promising cases

IV. Conclusions

Contents

I. Introduction

I.1 Asia and the Pacific at a glance

46 UNESCO Member States

Enormous cultural and linguistic diversity

More than 4 billion people (2/3 of the world population)

950 million (1 out of every 4 persons) under poverty line ($PPP1.25/day)

20.1 million out-of-school primary school-age children in 2010

506 million adult illiterates – more than 400 million in South and West Asia

67.2 million young people (ages 15-24) remain illiterate (63% are young women)

I. 2 Demographic Change

Source： UN-DESA Population Division (2011)

I.2 Demographic change Falling fertility rate

2.52.2

1.71.6

1.5

2.52.4

1.61.8

1.9

2.6 2.52.4 2.4 2.4

5

4.2

3.2

2.7

2.3

4.5

3.3

2.5

2.2

2

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

Fertility Rate (live births per woman) per Sub-Region

East and North-East Asia

North and CentralAsia

Pacific

South and South-West Asia

South-East Asia

Source：WHO data derived by ESCAP (ESCAP Data Centre)

Source：ILO, Trends econometric models, October 2010.

I.3 Female labour participation

77

53

4

2

19

45

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Male

Female

Distribution of female and male working-age populations by main economic activity, Asia, 2009

Employed Unemployed Inactive

I.3 Female labour participation

Source：World Bank data bank

16 16 23

29 35

38 38 39 43 44 46 48 49 49 50 51 51 53 54 54 54 56 56 56 57 57 57 59 61 62 64 66 67 67 68

71 72 73 75 77 79 80

-

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Afg

han

ista

n

Iran

, Isl

amic

Rep

.

Pak

ista

n

Ind

ia

Sri L

anka

Som

alia

Tim

or-

Lest

e

Fiji

Sam

oa

Mal

aysi

a

Turk

men

ista

n

Uzb

ekis

tan

Ko

rea,

Rep

.

Jap

an

Ph

ilip

pin

es

Ho

ng

Ko

ng

SAR

, Ch

ina

Ind

on

esia

Solo

mo

n Is

lan

ds

Ton

ga

Au

stri

a

Mo

ngo

lia

Bru

nei

Dar

uss

alam

Kyr

gyz

Rep

ub

lic

Mal

div

es

Sin

gap

ore

Ban

glad

esh

Tajik

ista

n

Au

stra

lia

Van

uat

u

New

Ze

alan

d

Thai

lan

d

Bh

uta

n

Kaz

akh

stan

Mac

ao S

AR

, Ch

ina

Ch

ina

Pap

ua

New

Gu

inea

Ko

rea,

Dem

. Rep

.

Vie

tnam

Mya

nm

ar

Lao

PD

R

Cam

bo

dia

Nep

al

Percentage of female population aged 15 and older that is economically active (2011)

I.3 Female labour participationRelationship between female labour

participation and fertility rate

Source：Lim, L. L. based on ILO labour force participation rate data and UN Population Division’s estimated fertility rate

Developed industrialised countries (females aged 24-54 years)

Source：Lim, L. L. based on ILO labour force participation rate data and UN Population Division’s estimated fertility rate

Asia-Pacific (females aged 24-54 years) - unclear pattern

I.3 Female labour participationRelationship between female labour

participation and fertility rate

I.3 Female labour participationDuration of maternity leave

Source：United Nations Statistics Division

Percentage of countries by legislated length of maternity leave, by region, 2009

• Less than 30% of the Asia-Pacific countries live up to the international standard of 14 weeks.

• Among all regions, Asia-Pacific has the highest distribution of countries providing maternity leave for less than 12 weeks

I.4 ECCE on global and national development agenda

Compelling scientific evidence of brain development

Brain circuitry is formed rapidly during early childhood

How the neurons connect depends on interaction with the external world

Prenatal and early childhood period sets trajectories for lifelong health, learning and behaviour

Child development is strongly affected by the quality of environment (esp. humans)

Integrated ECCE yields greatest benefits for child development

I.4 ECCE on global and national development agenda

Economic evidence of ECCE as one of the most productive forms of educational investment

Investment in early childhood development for disadvantaged children provides 7 to 10 percent each year to society through increased personal achievement and productivity.

Source: Carneiro and Heckman 2003

Education for All Goal 1

Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children

Access expansion Quality improvement

Equity provision

II. State of Young Children in Asia and the Pacific

II.1 Survival and well-beingMore Children Surviving

46

14

51

27

35

23

115

5970

29

74

36

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

1990 1995 2000 2005 2011

Under-five mortality rate [Deaths per 1,000 live births]

East and North-East AsiaNorth and CentralAsiaPacific

South and South-West AsiaSouth-East Asia

World

Source：WHO data derived by ESCAP (ESCAP Data Centre)

II.1 Survival and well-being Prevalent Chronic Malnutrition

Source：WHO data cited in UNICEF The State of the World’s Children 2013

40

20

39

12 12 12

26

Sub-SaharanAfrica

Middle Eastand North

Africa

South Asia East Asia andthe Pacific

Latin Americaand the

Caribbean

CEE/CIS World

Percentage of children under five suffering from stunting (2007-2011)

II.1 Survival and well-beingExisting disparities

31

43

19

55

Urban Rual richest20%

poorest20%

South Asia

Underweight prevalence in children under 5 (%) – 2007-2011

Source：WHO data cited in UNICEF The State of the World’s Children 2013

510 10

24

Urban Rual richest20%

poorest20%

East Asia and Pacific

II.2 Participation inpre-primary education

Source：UNESCO Institute of Statistics

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Percent

Percentage of new entrants to primary education with ECCE experience, by sex, 2011

Male

Female

Source：UNESCO Institute of Statistics

78

57

90

37

1321

8 9 7

100 100

91

61

52

3932

23 20

9892

70 69

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Shift in percentage of new entrants to primary education with pre-primary experience

2002 2011

II.2 Participation inpre-primary education

Source: UNESCO Institute of Statistics

921 26

48

13 1824

43 46 46 4959 61

69 7378 82

88 88 93100

181

5

26

4355

115

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

Gross enrolment ration in pre-primary education (ca. 2011)

II.2 Participation inpre-primary education

II.2 Quality of pre-primary education

Source：UNESCO Institute of Statistics

9.3 9.7 10.5 11.3 11.7 12.5 13.015.7

17.8 18.019.3 19.6

23.224.9 25.0

26.3 26.7 26.9 27.0 27.3

Pupil-teacher ratio at pre-primary level (2011)

Source：UNESCO Institute of Statistics

46.2 49.558.5

69.7 73.083.7 86.8

93.0 97.4 97.5 98.5 100.0

Trained preprimary teachers as a percentage of total preprimary teachers (ca 2011)

II.2 Quality of pre-primary education

II.3 FinancingPublic investment in education

Source： EFA Global Monitoring Report 2012

14.6 14.7

24.7

9.4

12.4 12.9 13.2 13.4 13.714.7 15.0 15.8 16.1

17.118.9

22.323.7

9.4

14.1

19.8 20.2

14.0

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Mo

ngo

lia

Tajik

ista

n

Kyr

gyzs

tan

Jap

an

Cam

bo

dia

Au

stra

lia

Lao

PD

R

Sam

oa

Bru

nei

Dar

uss

alam Fi

ji

Ph

ilip

pin

es

Rep

ub

lic o

f K

ore

a

New

Zea

lan

d

Ind

on

esia

Mal

aysi

a

Thai

lan

d

Van

uat

u

Bh

uta

n

Ban

glad

esh

Iran

Nep

al

Wo

rld

Total public expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (2010)

II.3 Financing Public investment in pre-primary education

Source： UNESCO Institute of Statistsics

5.06.8

8.1

0.4 1.1 0.9 1.2 1.7 2.2 2.2 2.74.0

6.7

11.312.1

23.8

1.1 1.5 1.7

0

5

10

15

20

25

Tajik

ista

n

Kaz

akh

stan

Kyr

gyzs

tan

Fiji

Au

stra

lia

Ind

on

esia

Mal

aysi

a

Ph

ilip

pin

es

Cam

bo

dia

Rep

ub

lic o

f…

Jap

an

Ho

ng

Ko

ng…

New

Zea

lan

d

Vie

t N

am

Thai

lan

d

Mo

ngo

lia

Ind

ia

Nep

al

Iran

per

ce

nt

Educational expenditure in pre-primary as a percentage of total educational expenditure, 2011

Source: UNESCO Institute of Statistics

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Enrolment in pre-primary education: Public vs Private

Public Private

III.4 Service delivery

II.4 Service Delivery

In most countries governments cannot provide universal access to ECCE

Heavy reliance on private/non-state actors (families, communities, NGOs and international donor agencies)Prioritization of preschool age, disadvantaged groups

Private SectorNegligible in Central Asia

99% of provision in Indonesia, Samoa and Fiji

For-profit provision growing in Southeast and South Asia – need for regulation for quality standards

III. Opportunities and Challenges

III.1 Public awareness• The importance of early childhood and its holistic nature is

highlighted on many national policy documents.

• This has in turn led to increased inter-sectoral coordinationefforts

• More concern about the quality of programmes and children’sdevelopment and learning outcomes

• Increased political awareness but further need for awarenessraising among parents and comminities (country reports fromAfganistan, Bhutan and Vanuatu)

III.2 Policy Coordination• Coordination of multiple ministries, agencies and NGOs

continues to be a major challenge risk of fragmentation, overlaps and diffusion of responsibility

• Options for leadership:

Lead line ministry (e.g. MOET in Viet Nam),Independent lead ministry for children (e.g. India’s MWCD)Inter-ministerial coordination body (e.g. Philippines)

• Decentralization of ECCE provision aiming at greater transparency and ownership risk of inequitable distribution of resources and expertise

Promising cases• Free quality education and curricular integration for all five year olds –

Ministries of Education and of Health and Welfare (e.g. Republic of Korea)

• Recent efforts to develop holistic ECCE policy (e.g. Bangladesh, Cambodia, Lao PDR)

• Successful inter-ministerial coordination (e.g. Bangladesh and Philippines)

• Financing: inclusion of ECCE in the EFA-FTI and GPE (e.g. Mongolia, Lao PDR, Tajikistan); Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme in Hong Kong SAR

• Establishment of teacher qualification standards (e.g. China, Singapore)

• Promotion of mother tongue-based multi-lingual ECCE programmes (e.g. Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Myanmar and Viet Nam)

• National curricular guidelines with traditional values for flexible use by teachers (e.g. New Zealand, China)

IV. Conclusions

Priority for action

• Evidence-based policy advocacy and public awareness

• Government commitment to ECCE: as part of national socio-economic development agenda, ensure resource allocation and quality service provision and monitoring

• Coordination among sectors at central and decentralised levels (i.e. vertical and horizontal coordination)

• Public-private partnerships and involvement of civil society and communities to reduce marginalization and inequity

• International cooperation (south-south, north-south, north-north) in capacity development, policy formulation and research