Early childhood development
Access to early childhood education gives every child a strong start in life
The challenge
Lack of access to early learning is another serious issue affecting the well-being of children in Kyrgyzstan. Limited access to high-quality early learning can impede children’s cognitive development and school readiness and affect learning outcomes in the future.
According to the latest Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2023, only around 40 per cent of children aged 3–5 participate in early childhood education programmes. Geographic disparities are notable: the number of children attending early childhood education programmes is much higher in urban areas than in rural areas.
Socioeconomic status is another a critical factor that stops children from attending early childhood education programmes. More than half of children from the richest households attend such programmes, while the figure drops to 24 per cent among children in the poorest households.
Most young children with disabilities are home-schooled, or do not receive extra support in kindergartens because teachers are not trained in inclusive early learning. Parents of children with disabilities and local authorities are unaware of support that is available. Referral mechanisms to access support from specialists or institutions are scarce.
As Kyrgyzstan transitions to a 12-year education system, early learning and school readiness are becoming increasingly important. Under the reforms it is planned to upgrade the current pre-primary education (Grade 0) to Grade 1, enabling children to start Grade 1 at the age of 6.
With the goal of stimulating development of early education institutions, the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic has taken measures to optimize licensing for preschools and introduced new mechanisms such as ‘per-capita funding’ and ‘voucher financing’, as well as introducing an accelerator programme to encourage establishment of early education institutions. The government has also focused on developing public-private partnerships to increase private investment in preschools.
However, there are concerns and risks related to quality assurance, child safeguarding and accountability. Only 20 per cent of teachers in the early education system have an educational background in early childhood development and education. Although the government has set standards, these do not benefit most preschool-aged children, due to the absence of quality assurance and monitoring mechanisms.
The solution
UNICEF is working with the government to ensure that preschool educators and investors engaged in the accelerator programme have access to proper training. The Republican Teacher Training Institute (RTTI) now provides training on child development and care, play-based learning, child protection, non-discrimination, and management of preschool businesses. The two-week comprehensive training programme, including post assessment and certification, is validated by the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES).
As of March 2024, hundreds of entrepreneurs in this sector had already completed this training course. As the government-led accelerator programme for early education institutions unfolds, more participants are expected to complete the training.
UNICEF is also supporting the MoES to evaluate the accelerator programme, collecting feedback from government officials, entrepreneurs, and parents and caregivers. The evaluation will take stock of good practices and lessons learned, and offer recommendations to the government, technical agencies and those practitioners running home-based preschools.
UNICEF is working with the MoES to ensure that each of these approaches is implemented in the most effective way. This work includes developing regulations, training relevant specialists, providing examples of international best practices, and quality control. The goal is to ensure that every parent and child can benefit from these systems.
The government is also working to expand access to early education services by reducing financial barriers for families, through financing measures like per-capita funding and voucher financing.
Per-capita funding for preschools is funding allocated by the government to each facility based on the number of children enrolled. This means that each child benefits from an equal share of funding, and that families can minimize expenses related to preschool.
Voucher financing is a mechanism which allows families to receive funding to cover the cost of attending preschool. This approach allows parents to select a preschool institution that best fits their child’s needs and preferences.
Through the public-private partnership, the government intends to generate interest in preschool institutions in the private sector, and improve the quality of services offered by private companies. Globally, this approach has proven to be an effective mechanism to offset the limited public financing and mobilize additional resources in the social sector.
Resources
These resources represent a small selection of materials on the topic. The list is regularly updated to include the latest information.