National ECD Policy in Namibia*

National ECD Policy in Namibia*

Context and Need: Many Namibian children have survived war and many develop today in conditions of poverty, overcrowded housing, inadequate food supply, polluted water, lack of sanitary facilities, and isolation. Their family environment is one of dislocated extended families and female-headed households with limited resources for childrearing. Many children are malnourished and often suffer from malaria, diarrhea, measles, and other preventable diseases. Although a wealthy country among Sub-Saharan African nations, the 29% malnutrition level here is just below the regional average of 31%. As reported in the 1995 policy paper by Namibia's Inter-ministerial Task Force, "The setting for and quality of early childhood provision runs the full spectrum of programs found anywhere in the world. Some are located in purpose-built structures with good equipment, a multitude of play materials and well-trained teachers, ever responsive to and supportive of children. At the other end of the spectrum are programs where groups of children are huddled together in dilapidated huts, with nothing to play with, being overseen by an adult who has little understanding of children's needs or her role in supporting children's growth and development." Surveys of ECD programming find almost seventy-five percent of programs not registered with the Ministry of Education and Culture, sixty percent without curriculum and many with no sanitary facilities. In this context of need and disparate efforts, the Inter-Ministerial Task Force undertook to bring into being a National ECD Policy to address the needs of children from birth to eight years of age.

Objective: In 1994 an Inter-Ministerial Task Force established by the Ministry of Regional and Local Government and Housing (MRLGH) and the Ministry of Basic Education and Culture (MBEC) came together to create a National ECD Policy to support a broad spectrum of ECD programs for young children and their families. The objectives of the Policy framework are to:

·  speak directly to ECD and raise public awareness;

·  clarify government role in ECD support;

·  consolidate and systematize laws, programs and activities;

·  coordinate sectors;

·  clarify roles in partnerships for children;

·  mobilize and allocate resources for ECD programs; and

·  provide ECD program guidelines and quality standards.

Approach: A government-appointed National Early Childhood Development Committee coordinates the efforts of government, non-governmental agencies, churches and the private sector to work with communities in developing programs for young children. The Policy establishes a supportive framework of actors at many levels to work with communities to promote the development of appropriate ECD programs. Design and decision-making at the local level as to the type of ECD support -- parent education, home-, community- or center-based programs -- aims to realize sustainable early childhood programs based in the community and accessible to all young children and their families, especially those in rural areas and those living in difficult circumstances. Programming principles of the policy and its partners in implementation aim for integration, building on strengths, providing equity in access, including a variety of approaches (as opposed to a single national model); reflecting diversity, involving multiple generations; and putting systems in place to ensure quality.

Target Population: children from birth to eight

Training: Training occurs at many levels in the national framework of ECD support. There is the training of the individual ECD worker who works with children and/or parents. Training of Early Childhood Workers (ECWs) will be offered by Early Childhood Development Officers located at Regional Teacher Resource Centers (TRC). At the present time 10 TRCs are operational to provide training and support to communities developing ECD programs. Among ECWs are a wide variety of skills and levels of education. One training package does not cater to the range of needs. A tiered or step training system shall be developed which caters for the needs of early childhood workers with little or no basic education, to a mid-level training, through to tertiary level training. (Such a tiered training system is described in Curriculum for Pre-School Teachers Education (MEC/NIED, June 1994). It is also necessary to provide training to Parent Committees that have responsibility for overseeing management and operation of programs.

At the district level, there is a need to train the Community Activators and Community Liaison Officers of the MRLGH in how to provide support to community-based ECD programs and the communities. Through a regional Training of Trainers initiative begun by the Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF) in 1994 entitled "Early Childhood Development: More and Better", three individuals began this work by attending a Training of Trainers Workshop in Johannesburg. They returned to train others, resulting in a cadre of trainers within the country, including Early Childhood Development Officers within MBEC who provide training and support to Early Childhood Workers and Community Liaison Officers from MRLGH who provide training for the Community Activators responsible for training parents and mobilizing communities. These Officers of the MBEC and MRLGH will also be involved in preparing Regional Councils and the Regional ECD Committee to carry out ECD responsibilities via training for basic understanding of the importance of ECD and skills for program support, management, and community response.

Finally, those within the national structure who take on the role of ECD Coordinator within their respective organizations also need appropriate training. Thus the Policy intends an assessment of needs in relation to job description to be followed by the design of appropriate training systems and opportunities. Credentialling of non-governmental organizations providing ECD training, and guidelines for levels of national accreditation shall be developed via an analysis of existing effort and expertise.

Role of Wider Community: The National ECD Policy holds that development and learning occur continuously as a result of the child interacting with people and objects in their environment. The role of adults (at home and in other settings) in supporting children's learning is to provide children with opportunities to work with concrete objects, to make choices, explore things and ideas, experiment and discover. Children also need opportunities to interact with peers and adults in a safe environment that provides the child with security and acceptance. The National ECD Policy indicates that ECD programs be developed in collaboration with the community such that they are strengthened to define their own needs and develop their own resources. The Policy supports this approach to:

·  build local capacity to identify needs and seek solutions,

·  create ownership and accountability;

·  encourage unity and strength within the community;

·  enhance the probability that decisions will be implemented and that programs will be maintained once initial outside support is withdrawn; and

·  empower people to make decisions in relation to all aspects of their lives.

The process envisioned for this government-community partnership is as follows: the creation of ECD programs begins with the parents and community, supported in assessing ECD needs by a Community Activator, Community Liaison Officer and/or NGOs. They determine their priorities and create solutions to build upon what already exists in the community for children -- childrearing practices or programs in place (such as retraining a community health worker for an expanded role or supporting an ECD worker on the same model). Parent Committees form and determine what they as a community are able to provide. (i.e. site and/or maintenance, parent fees, equipment and materials that can be constructed and/or provided by parents, ECW's salary, food, etc.) The committee recruits an ECW in line with the roles required by the type of ECD program: working with parents only, children only or both. After identifying ECD program type and ECW, the community requests appropriate training as well as in-service training and on-going supervision from the Regional ECD Committee. In addition, the Parent Committee might, with the advice of the Community Activator, Community Liaison Officer or NGO, seek assistance to support the on-going costs of the program by applying for funds or a "matching grant" from the Children's Trust Fund, or a local business.

National Structures, Roles of Institutional Stakeholders: A National Early Childhood Development Committee oversees the development and implementation of the National Early Childhood Development Policy. This Committee is a continuation of the Inter-Ministerial Task Force created to establish the ECD Policy. The Committee is chaired by the Ministry of Regional and Local Government and Housing. The Committee’s responsibilities include:

·  set policy in relation to ECD provision;

·  monitor implementation of the National ECD Policy;

·  evaluate effectiveness and relevance of the ECD Policy;

·  propose amendments to/changes in the ECD Policy;

·  establish responsibility of each Ministry in policy implementation;

·  ensure coordination of efforts among those providing ECD services;

·  examine current Labor laws and legal structures in relation to support for ECD and make recommendations for changes where necessary;

·  advocate for greater attention to the needs of young children; and

·  educate the Public in regards to the importance of ECD.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of the Environment and Tourism, and the Ministry of Information will act in an Advisory Capacity to the National ECD Committee.

MRLGH oversees the development and management of programs for children and their families from birth through age 5, or until the time a child enters primary school. An ECD Coordinator within the Directorate of Community Development has primary responsibility for the development of the ECD activities within MRLGH and is responsible for assuring the coordination among ECD service providers via liaison with the ECD Coordinator of the MBEC and the NGO ECD Coordinator.

At the national level, MRLGH develops guidelines for the establishing and registering ECD programs as well as training curriculum for the Community Activators and Community Liaison Officers. At the regional level, it works with Regional Councils to establish and develop the capacity of Regional Early Childhood Committees and responds to requests from communities for technical and financial assistance. This includes raising funds for ECD programs; applying to the Children's Trust Fund on behalf of ECD programs; acting on/disbursement of funds in response to community proposals; registering programs/issuing licenses; monitoring programs; training Community Liaison Officers and Community Activators; maintaining regional data-bases on young children; and referring appropriate issues to the National ECD Committee. Finally, at the community level, MRLGH conducts parent education programs; trains Parent Committees in the management of ECD programs and works with Parent Committees to acquire resources required for the ECD programs.

The MBEC serves children from age 6 onwards. Within the National Institute of Educational Development there shall be close collaboration between those designing the early childhood and early primary curricula to assure that there is a smooth transition for children as they move from ECD programs into the formal education system. To facilitate the entrance of children into the primary school the MBEC has developed a 10-week transition curriculum which will be implemented when children enter Primary 1. The curriculum is meant to provide six-year-olds with a pre-primary experience before they begin the Primary 1 Curriculum. This approach will be carefully evaluated since the implementation of this kind of "bridging" program has not been demonstrated as effective in other countries.

At the national level, an ECD Coordinator develops curriculum guidelines for a variety of ECD programs -- parent education, home-based, center-based -- for children 0-6 years of age; creates a mechanism for the certification of non-governmental training organizations/institutes involved in early childhood training; develops ECD capacity within current Teacher Resource Centers to provide training in response to requests from communities; develops training guidelines and materials as well as a Plan of Action for the provision of training; creates an accreditation system for recognition of different levels of training/competence within the ECD field; and develops monitoring criteria to be utilized by the Inspectorate. At the regional level, Early Childhood Development Officers at the TRCs operationalize national curriculum guidelines based on regional needs; set up and maintain early childhood corners at the TRCs and produce appropriate early childhood training and awareness materials in consultation with Head Office; create a mechanism for the certification of teachers based on national guidelines; train, monitor and supervise ECWs in their sites for quality control; and conduct training attendance and evaluations in addition to monitoring training progress and impact, and identifying areas for improvement.

The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS) provides health services for young children and their families through the ECD programs. At the national level, MOHSS develops guidelines used in the delivery of health components through ECD programs. At the regional level, it works with the ECD Officers to build appropriate health promotion activities into the ECD curriculum and assist in training ECWs in appropriate health monitoring activities to be undertaken within ECD programs. At the local level, MOHSS provides periodic screening of children in ECD programs via periodic visits and work with ECWs to assure that all children are immunized.

Three other Ministries are involved in less expansive roles. The Ministry of Finance plays a lead role in creating a structure for the allocation of funds to ECD programs both within the MRLGH and the MBEC. In addition the Ministry of Finance provides guidance in the creation of alternative funding strategies. The Ministry of Home Affairs serves in an advisory capacity to the National ECD Committee to provide guidelines for ensuring the safety, security and protection of young children. Finally, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism also serves in an advisory capacity to ensure that young children are made aware of environmental issues and that the environment is a safe place for young children.

Inter-ministerial Coordination: The Inter-Ministerial Task Force on Early Child Development created in March 1994 was established as a joint initiative by the Ministry of Regional and Local Government and Housing, and the Ministry of Basic Education for the purposes of defining a National Policy on Early Childhood Development. Members include: the Director of Community Development, MRLGH (co-Chair); the Director, Education Program Implementation, MBEC (co-Chair); two Deputy Directors of Community Development, MRLGH; Senior Education Officer, MBEC; Chief and Senior Social Worker, MOHSS; Primary Teacher, MBEC; Coordinator of the Children's Desk, CCN; and Project Officer, ECD, UNICEF.