SEAMEO CECCEP successfully conducted training for ECCE
teachers in Tasikmalaya, West Java, Indonesia. This training was held from
November 7 to December 16 in a blended manner. As many as 30 ECCE teachers
participated in the "Our Happy Neighborhood" training. On December
16, 2022, training participants evaluated the OHN training at the Indonesian
University of Education, Tasikmalaya Campus. This training evaluation aims to
analyze and determine the level of effectiveness of the training program. The
OHN module discusses the importance of knowledge of children's rights which is
the basis for realizing early childhood education free from bullying,
intolerance, and violence.
The OHN module discusses the importance of knowledge of
children's rights which is the basis for establishing early childhood education
free from bullying, intolerance, and violence. Through this module, caregivers must
implement care that prioritizes child welfare. The OHN module consists of 5
themes: first, Happy Children, a training topic that discusses children's
welfare rights in fulfilling children's health and nutrition needs, and how
teachers become promotive agents to open access to children's health and
nutrition in collaboration with health authorities.
Second, This module targets teachers to build collaboration
between teachers and parents based on children's rights to participation in
care. They're each other has a good relationship between teachers and parents,
which impacts positive parenting practices from the womb that is free of
violence.
Third, Happy Teachers is a topic based on child protection
rights, which tries to introduce the pedagogical topic of gender equality and
social inclusion as an entry point to create non-discriminatory schools.
Fourth, Happy School contains child-friendly schools, where teachers are given
information about organizing a safe school environment for children with
Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for mitigating bullying and sexual
violence.
Fifth, Happy Community is a topic based on the rights to
welfare, protection, and child participation that needs to be supported by all
stakeholders, including the government. The ECE unit is a hub for meeting
stakeholders in the HI-ECD framework. So this module provides a lot of
information about management governance. ECCE and technical cooperation with
the community.
In the discussion, the participants conveyed the obstacles in
participating in the blended training connection problems and disturbances
originating from the environment, such as time constraints for the training,
which coincided with other activities even though there were several obstacles
once the teacher completed this training to the end.
In the Happy Children module, participants said that schools
have tried to provide children's rights in fulfilling health through School
Health Unit services. However, most ECCE institutions do not have a School
Health Unit room due to their lack of space. First aid provided at school is
also limited. Teachers also complain that they have prepared a food menu
suitable for children's nutrition at school, but this is not accompanied by a parental
commitment to bringing food to children. Parents tend to bring snacks that are
less nutritious for children's health.
Participants also criticized that the price of staple foods
has increased, impacting the provision of nutritious food to fulfill balanced
nutrition in children. Children from the lower middle class will experience
difficulties in obtaining nutritious food. Therefore, government policies are
needed to support children's welfare in the economic field. The role of the
teacher will be greatly assisted if government policies can also support the
fulfillment of children's rights in obtaining balanced nutrition for children.
On the other hand, early childhood education institutions
must be inclusive and provide child-friendly schools. Child-friendly schools
are schools that consciously seek to guarantee and fulfill children's rights in
every aspect of life in a planned and responsible manner. The main principles
of child-friendly schools are non-discrimination, prioritizing children's
rights, and respect for children. In supporting child-friendly schools,
elements of the family, school, and community are needed. The family is the
main center of education and serves the needs of children as a function of
financial protection while providing space for expression and creativity.
Schools and the community must also provide services and care
about children's condition, health, and nutrition and help children learn to
live healthy lives respecting children's rights and gender equality.
Participants said that the facts in the field were that there were still
learning processes and play activities in early childhood education that were
not gender-responsive. Stereotypes are still found in play activities, where
girls and boys use play tools that show a segregative dimension. For example,
girls play with tools and household roles, while boys use tools and public
roles. Girls prefer pink for their learning tools, while boys prefer blue.
Finally, this activity was closed with a group photo and giving token appreciation to participants who were most active
in participating in the webinar. In the end, this evaluation is expected to
fulfill children's rights.
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