6.2. PRACTICE AND BARRIERS TO PRESCHOOL EDUCATION As mentioned in the introductory section of this report, the percentage of preschool-aged children who actually attend preschool in BiH remains low. One of the aims of this survey was to look at the factors that decrease the likelihood that the child will be given the opportunity to participate in preschool activities, i.e. to examine the barriers to preschool education of children in the country. The findings of this survey confirm the low preschool attendance rate as identified in the official statistics. According to the survey findings, 82 per cent of preschool-aged children do not attend preschool. Only 18 per cent of children are enrolled in kindergartens and nursery schools, and 19 per cent of children attend preparatory preschool programmes. Preschool education of children seems to be less common in control municipalities than in project municipalities, as well as for Roma children than for other children. Preschool-aged children living in control municipalities are less likely to be enrolled in preschools or preschool preparatory programmes than children whose families live in project municipalities. Also, Roma children are less likely to be enrolled in preschool than their coevals from the general population, but also compared to children with developmental disabilities. In terms of preparatory preschool programmes, there are no statistically significant differences between Roma children and their counterparts from the other two groups. Figure 9. Attendance rate for preschool and for preparatory preschool programme. Percentage distribution Municipality
Total
All Project Control respondents municipalities municipalities
Category Parents, general population
Roma parents
Parents of children with developmental disabilities
Preschool
17.6
21.2
11.6
17.8
7.4
28.0
Preparatory preschool programme
18.5
23.3
10.5
17.9
23.0
19.6
The reasons cited for non-enrolment are varied. The most oft-cited reasons include that children are better-off being looked after by a person close to them than by unfamiliar preschool staff, that preschools are too far away from where the families live (which is a greater problem in control municipalities than in project municipalities), and that children are too young to be left to the care of such facilities. All these are almost equally important reasons for non-enrolment as the fact that the child is cared for by the people close to him/her. Financial difficulties are more often cited by Roma families as an obstacle to enrolling their children in preschools, while health reasons are more likely to pose barriers to parents of children with developmental disabilities than those of healthy children. Figure 10. Why is your child not enrolled in preschool? Percentage distribution