Early Childhood Development in Kwara State, Nigeria

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Early Childhood Development in Kwara State,
Nigeria

• Yetunde Ijaiya
• Rabiat Ibrahim

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KWARA STATE Population 1.5 million Size 32,500
Km2
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Background ECD in Kwara State

• Public ECD began in 2006 in Kwara State, within
  public primary schools
• ECD included in State Education Sector Plan
• Long history of private nursery/primary schools
  in Kwara
• ECD incorporated into UBE policy in Nigeria
• Funding 5 of UBE allocation to each state for
  public ECD (based on counterpart funding)
• National ECD Policy since 2007
• National curriculum for 0-5 year olds - not
  disseminated in Kwara State yet (preschools
  create own curriculum covering 6 areas English,
  Math, etc)

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Current Situation Public ECD

• ECD centers in 719 primary schools (out 1,406)
• Ages 3-5 years
• Enrolment (2008) Approx. 5 coverage
• 18,176 males
• 17340 females
• 34416 Total
• At least 1 teacher in each classroom, paid by
  SUBEB
• 600 caregivers (almost 1 per class) some
  employed by SUBEB, others by PTA or communities

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Key Challenges Access and Quality

• ACCESS
• Lack of conviction among some parents (rural)
  about value of ECD
• Inadequate number of classrooms overcrowding in
  urban areas
• Insufficient number of staff
• Poor funding

• QUALITY
• Insufficient appropriate materials, including
  furniture, toys, etc.
• Overly formal teaching approaches common
• Lack of state curriculum guidelines/pedagogical
  modules
• Caregivers with low qualifications
• Inadequate monitoring and supervision of centers
• Lack of access to water supply in some places

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Key evaluation questions/indicators

• How to improve quality and access of ECD in
  public schools?
• What is the impact of model ECD centers on
• staff-child interactions, child-centered pedagogy
• ECD enrolment and attendance
• parent satisfaction
• childrens learning outcomes (school readiness)
  upon entry to primary 1
• enrolment in primary 1
• community efforts to create ECD (spillover
  effects)?

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Intervention Model ECD Centers

• Intensive training and modules for teachers and
  caregivers
• Integrated child development
• Child-centered pedagogy
• Creating a quality learning environment
• Parent involvement
• Provision of learning materials
• Manipulatives
• Books
• Writing/drawing materials
• Toys from locally available materials
• Upgrade classrooms and outdoor spaces to make
  environments child-friendly
• Monitoring and supervision (SUBEB officers)

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Proposed Design

• Sampling
• Within 3 senatorial districts covering 16 local
  governments
• Stratified on rural/urban based on senatorial
  districts
• 80 schools in each treatment and control arm
• Random assignment to 3 groups
• Treatment 1 training learning materials
  upgraded classes
• Treatment 2 training learning materials
• Control Existing ECD classes (no change)

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Next Steps

• Sensitization/buy-in Discuss concept note with
  government (Ministry of Ed., Science, Tech,
  SUBEB) and ECD stakeholders (UNICEF, Colleges of
  Education and universities, PTAs, education
  donors, WB, etc.)
• Conduct studies Situation analysis of ECCD
• Design intervention Develop standards,
  curriculum, training materials, etc.
• Staffing Set up IE team
• Finalize IE design