Education International Research
Conclusions “Evidence from good practices in ECE systems shows that sustained public funding combined with standard setting and regulation are essential factors to achieve quality goals, especially ensuring the recruitment of highly qualified ECE personnel”.83 Though educators around the world have observed some progress towards Target 4.2 , there is still much to be done. The ECE sector is beginning to receive increased global attention as the multiple benefits of high-quality public ECE are now understood more widely, yet actions to prioritise and sufficiently invest in the sector are not following fast enough. To have any hope of achieving Target 4.2 by 2030, EI urges governments to take urgent action to sustainably fund public ECE and guarantee ECE educators’ right to decent work.
Key recommendations for governments: 1. Raise the status of ECE educators and drastically improve their working conditions to help attract young people — both female and male — to the profession. 2. Provide quality training and CPD for ECE teachers and ensure that ECE teachers have decent working conditions and clear career pathways. 3. Invest in and build public systems of early childhood education, accelerating the development of ECE infrastructure. 4. Allocate funding specifically for ECE in education budgets. 5. Strictly regulate private provision of ECE to ensure quality and equity. 6. Recognise the importance of ECE beyond its role in “school readiness”. Abolish highstakes standardised assessments at the ECE level, and ensure that play is included in ECE curricula as a vital part of development, care and effective pedagogy. 7. Adopt an intersectoral approach to ensure quality in ECE, allowing for cooperation across sectors, e.g. education and health. 8. Implement the UN International Labour Organisation (ILO) Policy Guidelines on the promotion of decent work for ECE personnel.
GRO.EI-IE 0302 NOITA CUDE 83 I LO guidelines on the promotion of decent work for ECE personnel (par. 29). Retrieved from: https://www.ilo.org/sector/Resources/codes-of-practice-andguidelines/WCMS_236528/lang--en/index.htm
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