Education International Research
In Australia, universal ECE policy increases access to ECE, but few have access to two years of ECE In 2013, the Australian government introduced a policy of universal access to one year of ECE, providing every child with access to 15 hours of ECE per week (delivered by a qualified ECE teacher) in the year before beginning formal schooling. Enrolment rates vary across the states and territories, but they have increased each year since the policy was introduced. Between 2015 and 2017, enrolments increased by 4.1%. Enrolment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children has increased by 11.6%. In 2016, 92.4% of ECE-aged children and 90.4% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were enrolled in an ECE program. Prior to this policy, in 2005, the average preschool enrolment rate was 53%. This policy is part of a broader National Quality Framework that focuses on improving educational standards and outcomes, staff qualification levels, pupil-teacher ratios and educational leadership. Plans are currently under way in some parts of Australia to provide a second year of ECE (for 3yearolds), as only 15% of 3-year-olds currently attend ECE. Nonetheless, ECE in Australia is still not universally free. The AEU71 report that the Australian government makes a joint investment together with state and territory governments toward the cost of provision, but service providers and families also contribute to costs. In the state of Victoria for example, 75% of families pay a fee of $4/hour or less, and 25% of families (eligible for subsidies due to low income) pay nothing.
Too many governments fail to prioritise investment in ECE The education unions surveyed viewed inadequate funding as the primary barrier to achievement of SDG 4 at the ECE level, with inadequate teacher working conditions and privatisation in/of education seen as significant, interdependent obstacles.
56,52
Privatisation in/ of education
8,70
Poor/narrow curriculum
69,57
Inadequate working conditions
47,83
GRO.EI-IE
Shortage of qualified teachers
82,61
Inadequate funding and resourcing 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Figure 3: What are the top obstacles to the achievement of SDG 4 in your country? (ECE)
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Despite widespread consensus among researchers on the importance of quality ECE, too many countries are failing to sufficiently invest in ECE. In Taiwan, less than 5% of education funding is allocated to ECE, whose students represent 9% of the school population. Our survey shows that, rather than having individual ECE budgetary allocations specifically for the ECE sector, most countries include ECE under the budgetary allocation for “basic education�; as a result, ECE is often neglected and receives poor funding that is disproportionate to its importance. For example, in Kenya and 71 Australia Education Union
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