Last Thursday was a momentous day for Early Childhood Care and Education (E.C.C.E.) in Samoa.
Representatives from the education sector and organizations from a wide range of sectors came together at the Ministry of Education, Sports, and Culture (M.E.S.C.) for the first ever E.C.C.E. taskforce meeting.
The establishment of this group is crucial to the realisation of some of the education sector’s priorities in its sector plan, which includes early childhood education.
Research into early childhood and early brain development clearly show the importance of engaging children in the early years, and in particular the first 1000 days from conception to age two. Investing in early childhood care and education is crucial for communities and for the prosperity of a nation.
The government is proud to support and advocate for early childhood education and this taskforce is the first step in this journey.
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The core E.C.C.E. taskforce is comprised of representatives from early childhood education, higher education teacher training institutions, inclusive education providers, relevant Government agencies as well as disability advocacy groups, and community groups. The taskforce will be complemented by representation from parents, teachers, principals, students, churches, as well as village members as consultations progress.
This is the beginning of a very exciting journey for the education sector and in particular M.E.S.C. as the key implementing agency. To get this right it is so important that we have a contribution from a wide range of experts in the field who can think and dream big to ensure that Samoans of the future have the best possible start in life.
During this first meeting participants got to know each other and to understand each other’s point of view. They also began to discuss the key issues such as the meaning of early childhood care and education in a Samoan context, teacher training, finance and resources, promoting participation and parental and community involvement.
In the Global Education For All (GFA) global monitoring report 2005 early childhood care and education (E.C.C.E.) is defined as “a wide range of programmes, all aimed at the physical, cognitive and social development of children before they enter primary school – theoretically from birth to about age 7 or 8”.
In the 2012 publication of UNICEF’s Asia- Pacific end of decade notes on Education For All in which they address the E.F.A. Goal 1, E.C.C.E. is referred to as “a range of processes and mechanisms that sustain and support development during the early years of life:
it encompasses education, physical, social and emotional care, intellectual stimulation, health care and nutrition. It also includes the support a family and community need to promote children’s healthy development.
The early childhood team at M.E.S.C. are presently conducting a situational analysis of E.C.C.E. across the country to ensure that they not only fully understand the current situation in terms of teacher qualifications and competencies, student achievement and attendance, standards of preschools and their facilities and resources, but also cultural perceptions of E.C.C.E. and what the people of Samoa feel is E.C.C.E. in these early years.
Thorough surveying and interviewing is being conducted across all the preschool staff, parents, students, and community and village members. The results of this analysis will help to guide and inform the work of the Education Sector E.C.C.E. taskforce.
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