Jakarta, August 28, 2024 - In an
effort to strengthen commitment and tangible actions towards achieving
inclusive Holistic Integrative Early Childhood Development (HI-ECD), the Tanoto
Foundation and the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural
Affairs (Kemenko PMK) organized an important event involving various
stakeholders. The Director of SEAMEO CECCEP participated as the main speaker at
this event, which aimed to unify efforts towards Indonesia's Golden Vision
2045.
The event was opened with a
speech by Woro Srihastuti Sulistyaningrum, Deputy for Coordination of Child
Quality Improvement, Women, and Youth at Kemenko PMK. In her speech, Woro
emphasized the importance of meeting the basic needs of children aged 0-6 years,
including health, education, caregiving, protection, and welfare services, to
ensure optimal child growth. She highlighted that early childhood development
must be carried out across sectors and should not only focus on education but
also ensure high-quality early childhood education.
Next, Fitri Herarti, M.Pd.,
presented the importance of quality early childhood education as a foundation
for future human resource development. She also proposed several
recommendations for PAUD HI stakeholders to include PAUD HI programs and
indicators in national development planning (RPJMN and/or RENSTRA K/L).
In a deeper discussion, Professor
Vina highlighted the crucial role of James Heckman in raising global awareness,
especially among governments, about the importance of investing in early
childhood education. "Heckman's famous theory states that early childhood
education is a long-term investment that will provide significant support to
the state in the future, especially if these services are focused on children
from vulnerable and marginalized groups," explained Professor Vina.
"So, the key point is really there, how we can open up broad access to
children from vulnerable, poor, and marginalized groups so that in the future,
it will bring benefits to the country. Actually, perhaps I also mentioned
earlier that we should understand early childhood education not just as an
investment, but as a pathway to achieving true social justice," she added.
According to her, early childhood education plays a crucial role in reducing
poverty and crime rates in the future, especially for children from vulnerable
groups.
Didik Darmanto, S.Sos., MPA,
added the importance of compulsory education policies that include one year of
pre-primary education, making early childhood education an integral part of the
national education system. In addition, Inna Amania, a representative from the
Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), emphasized the importance of
strengthening caregiving services that focus on themes related to early
childhood development, especially during the first 1,000 days of life. She also
stressed the importance of providing early developmental stimulation services
to ensure that the critical period of brain development can be utilized to the
fullest. The availability of these services aligns with global guidelines for
early childhood care and development and the strengthening of alternative
caregiving services, such as child-friendly care centers, which must ensure
that children can continue to grow and develop optimally outside of parental or
family care.
The seminar highlighted the
importance of social justice in access to education for young children,
especially for those from vulnerable and marginalized groups. The program aims
to reduce social inequalities and provide equal opportunities for all children
to reach their maximum potential.
Through collaboration among
various stakeholders, this event was expected to bring about real changes in
the implementation of PAUD HI in Indonesia, ensuring that every child,
regardless of social or economic background, has access to quality education and
supports the vision of Indonesia's Golden Vision 2045.
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