The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (MoECRT), supported by the ASEAN Secretariat, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Centre for Early Childhood Care Education and Parenting (SEAMEO CECCEP), Tanoto Foundation, and ARNEC has successfully welcomed the ministers of Education from 11 Southeast Asian countries, the Southeast Asian ambassadors to Indonesia, as well as delegates and speakers at the St Regis Hotel Jakarta on July 25-26, 2023.
The MoECRT had organized the Regional Consultation Meeting on Declaration on Early Childhood Care and Education as part of the Southeast Asia Policy Dialogue on Early Childhood Care and Education (SEAPD on ECCE) forum attended by education ministers from ASEAN member countries. The SEAPD on ECCE forum discussed the draft declaration of Southeast Asian Ministers of Education regarding the transformation of Early Childhood Education in the ASEAN region. The declaration will be adopted at the ASEAN Heads of State Meeting during the 43rd ASEAN Summit which will be held in September 2023.
"Through this forum, we will agree on a declaration that will reflect the efforts of ASEAN countries in accelerating the transformation of ECCE and recovering learning loss after the Covid-19 pandemic," said Iwan Syahril, Director General of Early Childhood Education, Primary and Secondary Education.
During the ministerial roundtable on ECCE, we saw a strong endorsement and commitment of ASEAN leaders' declaration on Early Childhood Education services in Southeast Asia. This support is an important step to encourage the growth and development of young minds," said Iwan Syahril.
Iwan Syahril mentions the importance of ensuring quality early childhood education services for children. He emphasized the importance of directing all aspects such as access, policy implementation, quality improvement and capacity building programs, financial commitment, and regional collaboration to contribute to developing better ECCE in the future. Iwan Syahril stated that after the pandemic, there is a need to map the ECCE landscape as a basis for evidence-based policymaking.
Prof. Maki Hayashikawa, Director of UNESCO Jakarta, appreciated the outputs of the conference and policy dialogue on the Development of Quality Early Childhood Education in Southeast Asia which resulted in a joint declaration of ASEAN Ministers of Education to address access and quality ECE services. She witnessed high interest and commitment from Southeast Asian countries and key partners in accelerating children's access to inclusive and high-quality ECCE.
The ASEAN leaders' declaration on ECCE in Southeast Asia is a powerful and important document that signifies the leadership of Southeast Asian countries to translate the Tashkent Declaration. It consists of (1) investing at least 10 percent of total education expenditure on ECCE and ensuring that the salaries and working conditions of the preschool workforce are at least equivalent to those of primary education teachers, (2) guaranteeing the obligation of at least one year of free quality pre-primary education for all (as stipulated in SDG Target 4.2), and (3) progressively improving ECE services, by providing equitable and adaptive support to vulnerable and marginalized categories of children, and realizing inclusion, and gender equality for them.
SEAMEO CECCEP has a very important role in this event, SEAMEO CECCEP as a regional institution continues to contribute to developing early childhood education and parenting. SEAMEO CECCEP also initiated to conduct a comprehensive scoping study on ECCE and Parenting in Southeast Asia where each country can report from SEAMEO member countries. The country reports will provide an overview of the changes and progress that continue to occur in ECCE and parenting. Hence the need for an extensive study to understand the current state of ECE and Parenting in the ASEAN region. The study will provide valuable insights into the evolving landscape and help identify areas for improvement and potential interventions to enhance ECE and parenting across ASEAN countries.
In the plenary session Prof. Vina Adriany, Director of SEAMEO CECCEP highlighted the importance of developing training for teachers. So far, teachers in Indonesia have many challenges and difficulties. Teachers in Indonesia are always divided between formal and non-formal.
"At the moment, we saw teacher training with a certain model without understanding their needs. Teacher training is not sensitive to teachers' culture. For teachers attending training is an opportunity to refresh and update their knowledge. It also allows them to meet other teachers and get involved to evaluate their teaching practices," Vina said.
It is therefore important to rethink a balanced teacher training model that is more equitable for teachers. Training is an effort for teachers to develop further and provide space for teachers to engage in the process of understanding culturally sensitive training.
The SEAPD on ECCE invited representatives of the ministries of education of ASEAN Member States, and ASEAN Secretariat, experts, development partners, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations in the field of ECCE. The invited guests engaged in parallel meetings and group discussions on a number of themes related to Early Childhood Education.
Supporting the transformation of early childhood education requires cross-sectoral cooperation. Children's rights to care and nurture, adequate health and nutrition, safety and security, responsive care, and opportunities to learn deserve to be accessed by all children. Finally, the event emphasized the importance of strong collaboration within the ECE ecosystem to enhance knowledge, experience, and best practices in early childhood education.
Listen to the statements of Iwan Syahril, Maki Hayashikawa (Director of UNESCO Jakarta), and Roger Yap Chao Jr (Assistant Director of Education, Youth, and Sport) through the Youtube channel of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia https://youtu.be/aNDnoeZwMnc.
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