Early Childhood Care & Education Authority, Mauritius

Early Childhood Care & Education Authority, Mauritius World Bank Africa ECCD Initiative Cape Town, 26-28 July 2010 Mrs. Soonita Kistamah, Director, ECCEA \ Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

Presentation Overview • Profile of Mauritius • Education Process • Historical Roadmap: From PSTF to ECCEA • Provision of Quality Pre-primary Education • Out-of-School Children • Inter Sectoral Collaboration • Challenges in ECCE sector Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

1. Profile of Mauritius • Location: Indian Ocean, 890 km East Coast of Madagascar • Population:1,274,189 million (2008 est.) • Languages: English, French, Creole • Main Religion(s): Hinduism (52%); Christianity (28%); Islam (17%) Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

2. Education Process • Primary • (5-12 years) • -Compulsory since 1991. • Six years of schooling leading to CPE. • Equal Gender Opportunities • (EFA Goals). Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

Policy Papers/ Action Plans : ECD Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

Pre primary Education Focus • Enrolment in pre-primary schools: February 2010 figures: 31,724 children were registered, leading to a Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) of nearly 95.4%. • In line with the Education For All (EFA) Goal 1, the Mauritian Government is ensuring that no child is left out of school. Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

Cont’d… Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

Aid to Pre-primary school children • Equitable access to pre-school education; • Monthly per-capita grant of MUR 200 by Government– payable to all children admitted in private pre-primary schools during their last year of pre-primary schooling.; • As from 2011, the per capita grant will be payable to all children attending a private pre primary school. Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

3. Historical Roadmap: From PSTF to ECCEA Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

Objectives of the PSTF • To assist in promoting and providing pre-school education and services in Mauritius; • To support activities initiated by the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, non governmental pre-school organizations and local authorities; • To encourage teacher education activities and research in the pre-school sector as well as the production of learning aids for pre-school children; • To promote the general welfare of pre-school children, pre-school teachers and child care workers. • To raise funds and secure financial and other support for the above activities. Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

New Legal & Regulatory Framework: The Early Childhood Care & Education Authority • As from 16th June 2008 by Act No. 21 of 2007 the Pre-School Trust Fund is now known as the Early Childhood Care & Education Authority. • MISSION: • Provide equal access for all children to quality pre-schooling, including those at risk of delayed development. • Focus on a child-centred and play-based approach, with the involvement of the parents. • Incorporate the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child so as to meet the highest quality standards in the most cost-effective and sustainable manner in the best interest of the young children of Mauritius. Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

Main Functions of the ECCEA • Implement projects programs and activities on early childhood care and education initiated by the Ministry in collaboration with line Ministries, non governmental organizations or local and international agencies; • Set norms and standards for play equipment, play materials, play space, furniture, books and children’s literature used by educational institutions; Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

Cont’d • Carry out the registration and supervision of educational institutions, their managers, educators and other staff engaged in early childhood care and education; • Advise on the development of training programs on early childhood care and education for educators and other staff in educational institutions; Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

Cont’d • Administer payment of any form of grants to registered educational institutions and manage grants in collaboration with the relevant Ministries; • Take such action as may be appropriate, in collaboration with relevant line Ministries and authorities, to prevent any form of violence, including sexual abuse, negligent treatment on young children. Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

4. Provision of Quality Pre-primary Education • National Curriculum Framework Pre-Primary (NCF) 2010 based on: • The basic principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, • The cognitive, social, emotional, physical, aesthetic, moral and spiritual development of the child, • The cultural diversity of the Mauritian society, • The need to equip the child with skills to facilitate learning to read, write and count. Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

Cont’d 2) Manual of Procedures 3) Continued Professional Development of all ECCE Cadres: • Pre-primary Unit Course (PPU) • Diploma in Early Childhood Education (Jan 2010,MIE ) • Certificate of Proficiency in Early Childhood Education (MIE) 4) Teacher/Pupil Ratio of 1:14 in ECCE Govt. schools 5)National Certificate in Early Childhood Education (Mauritius Qualification Authority in collaboration with ECCEA). Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

Holistic Programs in ECCE Holistic programs include: • Nutrition • Health and Hygiene • Physical, cognitive & emotional development • Parental Empowerment Programs (PEP) Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

5. Out-of-School Children • Eradication of Absolute Poverty • Government’s Project: Eradication of Absolute Poverty (EAP) Programme • EAP attends to all poor children of pre primary school going age; • These children are provided with food, clothing, transportation, pedagogical materials, medical care and psychological support; • Parents are trained to get a decent job with sustainable income; • Social problems are dealt with and there is training in life skills management for both parents and children. Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

Cont’d • As at date, some 823 children are benefiting from this program & as from January 2011, this project has been extended to the primary. • The authorities are also ensuring that these children successfully integrated the school system and that there is no drop-outs at higher level. Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

Inter Sectoral Collaboration Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

7. Challenges in ECCE Sector in Mauritius • Many preschool teachers mainly those working in private pre schools are trained by private institutions where there are wide variations in the training modalities, standards and contents of the training. • Teacher Qualifications: a matter of concern as teachers were recruited by private schools before any regulations were set up. • Unqualified teachers were being recruited but regular in-service training and workshops were being organized regularly. Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

Cont’d • Under representation of men as educators: Presence of male figures as educators to diversify young children’s experience in every day life. • Need for a cohesive professional development system for all educators with the aim to build a career ladder that would encompass existing qualifications & recognize prior experience. • Dearth of Research Evidence to guide policy actions • Cost of schooling – direct & indirect cost involved Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

Ending Note… Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

Early Childhood Care and Education Authority, Mauritius

Early Childhood Care & Education Authority, Mauritius