Education: UNICEF advocates early childhood development

Hauwa Mustapha, Kano

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says early childhood experiences are crucial for lifelong learning

The Chief of UNICEF Field Office in Kano, Mr. Rahama Farah, made the call at a two-day workshop on “Evidence Advocacy and Policy Dialogue for Increased Funding,” to the Early Childhood Care, Development and Education for Children (ECCDE) sub-sector in Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States.

The UNICEF added that states should aim for at least 50% participation rates, increasing annually, to prevent dropouts and foster seamless transitions to primary and secondary education in North West Nigeria.

Mr Farah, represented by Education Specialist, Kano Field Office, Mr Michael Banda, explained that Early childhood care, education and development were crucial because they leverage a time of significant brain development in children.

Mr Banda also called for increased budgetary allocation for Early Childhood Care, Development and Education for Children (ECCDE) in Northwest.

“The workshop brings stakeholders to reflects on the importance of investing in the early age education, adding that, only thirty-three percent of children have attended any form of organized early childhood development.” Mr Banda explained.

He noted that the north west has only forty-two percent participation rate of children who attend organized early childhood, while the north east has 40 percent.

According to the Education Specialist, south-south has ninety percent of the children at least attended one form of organised early childhood care and developmental.

He said the quality ECCED could set the foundation for good health, nutrition, learning success, social-emotional development, and economic productivity throughout life.

Mr Banda also called on the Nigerian government and state to reflect insuring that the foundations are strong by investing and putting more resources in early childhood development.

Early childhood starts at home with positive parents and requires requisite skills to raise children to develop holistically, psycho-social development, cognitive development, social skills, physical and many other domains. Noted Banda.

In his narration, he stressed that teachers have also pivotal rules to play by making the environment and the atmospheres conducive for early learning.

 “Despite these benefits, ECCED often receives low priority in education policies and funding. Increased budgetary allocation will significantly impact developmental outcomes for children.”

Farah added that failure to provide quality early childhood education limits children’s futures by denying them opportunities to reach their full potential.

The Chief of the Kano Field Office, who said that early education provides the highest return on investment of all education sub-sectors, lamented that it receives the smallest share of government expenditure compared to primary and secondary education.

He urged governments at all levels in the North West to increase funding for Early Childhood Care, Development and Education.

Earlier, the UNICEF Education Specialist, Abuja, Yetunde Oluwatosin, said that the percentage of children in need of good early childhood care and education was alarming.

Ms Oluwatosin said that early childhood was a critical period that any country must pay attention to as doing so would improve the economic outcome of the child, noting that the period must be consciously built to contribute to the child’s early transformation.

She then called for increased funding for the early childhood education sector in Northwest for children in the areas to reach their full potential.

Some of the stakeholders from Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states who spoke at the dialogue promised to give priority attention and adequate funding for the sector.