Every child should have the best start in life

Shouldn’t all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood care and education (ECCE) to address all their needs – social, emotional, cognitive and physical – to build a strong foundation for lifelong learning and well-being? ECCE, covering the first eight years of a child’s life (0 – 8 years), plays a key role in school readiness, school achievement and completion. Indeed, Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) calls for ‘Quality education for all’ focusing on children’s rights and dignity, their development and empowerment as highlighted by Ms. Irina Bokova, Director General, UNESCO.

The evidence indicates that ECCE is one of the smartest investments for governments and donors to make. Yet, in some areas of the world, for example, Africa, the statistics are appalling – less than 12% of children currently have access to Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) services.

Seychelles, leading the way in ECCE

So, which countries are leading the way? Would you be surprised to learn that Seychelles, an archipelago of 115 islands, off East Africa, has shown itself to be a leader in early childhood development? It recently hosted the first international biennial conference on ECCE convening 18 countries to share knowledge, experiences and best practices. Organised by the National High Level ECCE Policy Committee and the Institute of Early Childhood Development (IECD) (16 – 18 February, 2017) with technical assistance from the International Bureau of Education (IBE-UNESCO), the theme was “Building Resilient Early Childhood Care and Education Systems: Lessons of Experience.” It saw 350 regional and international delegates and local policy makers, educators, caregivers, non-governmental and civil society organisations attend.

Indeed, President Danny Faure has resolved to lead the transformation of early childhood care and education, both in the world and in Seychelles. According to IBE-UNESCO’s Director, Dr. M. Marope, who recently recognised the Seychelles as a best practice champion, “The President understands the fundamental importance of early childhood care and education as a foundation for human development, which is a foundation for overall development. Seychelles has acted as a leader on the global stage for ECCE, which would never have been possible without the resolve of President Faure’s very dedicated, committed and unflinching leadership.”

The President acknowledges that becoming an IBE-UNESCO best practice champion, "is an historical day for Seychelles, as for the past years we have worked so hard in creating the necessary policy framework on ECCE."

Since the UNESCO World Conference on ECCE in September 2010, Seychelles has been guided by the the Moscow Framework for Action and Collaboration.

Avoid complacency

Modest about his achievements, the President knows that his country may have made strides, but acknowledges that like all countries, “We should not remain in the comfort zone, we need to ensure that we have the proper mechanism to consolidate the work we have done and remain vigilant so there is no stagnancy.”

Calling all countries to step up to the ECCE challenge

Which other countries could lead the way in ECCE? Dr. Marope encourages others to step up to the challenge, “We call on other countries to follow their lead: to develop resilient ECCE systems to give each and every child a fair chance at holistic development.”