The Solomon Islands SABER and NSA-ECD EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT Country Report 2013 Policy Goals Status 1. Establishing an Enabling Environment The ECD system in the Solomon Islands is defined by recent policies, including the National Children’s Policy and National Early Childhood Education Policy, which direct national ministries to provide essential services that will foster the healthy development of young children. While a legal framework and some coordinating mechanisms are in place, the system must be strengthened to ensure implementation of policy and efficient provision of services at the local level. 2. Implementing Widely The Solomon Islands’ ECCE policy is designed to ensure access to health, nutrition, and education interventions for all children. However, coverage levels for essential ECCE services are inadequate, particularly for children from the poorest families and those living in rural areas. Service delivery in all sectors should be expanded to ensure all children are provided the opportunity for optimal development. 3. Monitoring and Ensuring Quality Data collection within all relevant sectors needs to be improved to monitor access and quality of ECCE services. In education, quality standards for ECD services have been developed. However, mechanisms must be put in place in local communities to ensure that service providers coordinate efforts and meet quality standards. SOLOMON ISLANDS ǀ EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION COUNTRY REPORT |2013 This report presents an analysis of the Early Childhood The government of the Solomon Islands (SIG) recognizes the Development (ECD) subsector, including programs and policies importance of providing early learning opportunities for young that affect young children in the Solomon Islands. This was a children. In 2008 the Ministry of Education and Human collaborative effort between UNICEF and World Bank Group, as Resources Development (MEHRD) endorsed a National Early it combines World Bank Group’s SABER-ECD framework,1 which Childhood Education Policy Statement, targeting ages three to includes analysis of early learning, health, nutrition, and social five, which states its commitment to develop a quality Early and child protection policies and interventions in the Solomon Childhood Education (ECE) sector. This commitment has been Islands, along with regional and international comparisons, as reflected in both the National Education Action Plan, 2013–2015, well as the regionally developed UNICEF National Situational and the Education Strategic Framework, 2007–2015. However, Analysis-ECD, which takes a greater in-depth look at the the statement clearly identified “in relation to quality practice, following system components, which have been highlighted by the payment and training of teachers, relevant curriculum, the Pacific Region as priority components for quality Early effective management, community awareness about the value of Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) implementation: ECCE and children’s access and participation in ECCE” as policy/legislation and governance; human resources; challenges to the implementation of ECCE services. In the curriculum, child assessment, and environment; performance National Development Strategy, 2011–2020, ECE is recognized as monitoring and assessment; and community partnerships. This a community-based system based on partnerships between report has been formally endorsed by Ministry of Education, government, churches, communities, and private enterprises; Human Resources, and Development, Solomon Islands (please yet a standardized syllabus is mentioned as a needed strategy to see Annex 1 on page 36). improve and maintain education standards. In addition, further efforts are needed across health, nutrition, and social and child protection to ensure adequate provision of comprehensive ECD The Solomon Islands and Early Childhood Development services, including for young children from birth to age three in close collaboration with Ministries of Health and Women, Youth, The Solomon Islands is an island state located in Oceania in the and Children. Additionally, across all sectors, including South Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia, northwest of Fiji, education, national policies should be better aligned with and east of Papua New Guinea. The Solomon Islands is a lower ground-level service delivery. Table 1 provides a snapshot middle-income country with a population of approximately summary of ECD indicators for the Solomon Islands compared 552,000 inhabitants (2011), of which approximately 81,000 with other Pacific Island Countries. (14.6 percent) are under the age of five. The Solomon Islands has a GDP per capita of $3,400 (2012 estimate, CIA World Fact Book) and ranks 143th in the UNDP Human Development Index. Table 1: Snapshot of ECD Indicators in Solomon Islands with Regional Comparison Solomon Fiji Samoa Tonga Vanuatu Islands Infant mortality (deaths per 1,000 live births) 23 15 17 13 12 Under-five mortality (deaths per 1,000 live births) 27 17 20 16 14 Moderate and severe stunting (under-five) (2007) 49%a No data No data No data 20% Maternal mortality ratio (deaths per 100,000 births) 100 34 29 140 150 Gross preprimary enrollment rate (2010) 100* No data 38% 21% 59% Birth registration 2000–2010 80% No data 48% 98% 26% Source: UNICEF Country Statistics, 2010, UNESCO Institute for Statistics. a. Data provided by the government of the Solomon Islands, updated through multisectoral review, May 2015, based on 2013–14 statistics. 1 SABER-ECD is one domain within the World Bank Group initiative, Systems Approach to Better Education Results (SABER), which is designed to provide comparable and comprehensive assessments of country policies. SABER: SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 2 Systems Approach to Better Education Health care x Standard health screenings for pregnant women Results–Early Childhood Development x Skilled attendants at delivery (SABER-ECD) x Childhood immunizations SABER–ECD collects, analyzes, and disseminates x Well-child visits comprehensive information on ECD policies around the Nutrition world. In each participating country, extensive x Breastfeeding promotion x Salt iodization multisectoral information is collected on ECD policies x Iron fortification and programs through a desk review of available Early learning government documents, data and literature, and x Parenting programs (during pregnancy, after delivery, interviews with a range of ECD stakeholders, including and throughout early childhood) government officials, service providers, civil society, x Child care for working parents (of high quality) development partners, and scholars. The SABER-ECD x Free preprimary school (preferably at least two years framework presents a holistic and integrated assessment with developmentally appropriate curriculum and of how the overall policy environment in a country classrooms and quality assurance mechanisms) affects young children’s development. This assessment Social protection can be used to identify how countries address the same x Services for orphans and vulnerable children policy challenges related to ECD, with the ultimate goal x Policies to protect rights of children with special needs of designing effective policies for young children and and promote their participation/ access to ECD services their families. x Financial transfer mechanisms or income supports to Box 1 presents an abbreviated list of interventions and reach the most vulnerable families (could include cash policies that the SABER-ECD approach looks for in transfers, social welfare, etc.) Child protection countries when assessing the level of ECD policy x Mandated birth registration development. This list is not exhaustive but is meant to x Job protection and breastfeeding breaks for new provide an initial checklist for countries to consider the mothers key policies and interventions needed across sectors. x Specific provisions in judicial system for young children x Guaranteed paid parental leave of least six months Three Key Policy Goals for Early Childhood x Domestic violence laws and enforcement Development x Tracking of child abuse (especially for young children) SABER-ECD identifies three core policy goals that x Training for law enforcement officers in regard to the countries should address to ensure optimal ECD particular needs of young children outcomes: Establishing an Enabling Environment, Implementing Widely and Monitoring, and Ensuring Quality. Improving ECD requires an integrated approach Figure 1: Three Core ECD Policy Goals to address all three goals. As described in figure 1, for each policy goal, a series of policy levers are identified, through which decision makers can strengthen ECD. Strengthening ECD policies can be viewed as a continuum; as described in Table 2, countries can range from a latent to advanced level of development within the different policy levers and goals. Box 1: A Checklist to Consider How Well ECD Is Promoted at the Country Level What should be in place at the country level to promote coordinated and integrated ECD interventions for young children and their families? SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 3 Table 2: ECD Policy Goals and Levels of Development Level of development ECD policy goal Minimal legal Nonexistent legal Regulations in some Developed legal framework; some Establishing framework; ad hoc sectors; functioning framework; robust programs with sustained an enabling financing; low intersectoral interinstitutional financing; some environment intersectoral coordination; sustained coordination; sustained intersectoral coordination financing financing coordination Universal coverage; Coverage expanding but Near-universal coverage Low coverage; pilot comprehensive gaps remain; programs in some sectors; Implementing programs in some strategies across sectors; established in a few established programs in widely sectors; high inequality integrated services for sectors; inequality in most sectors; low in access and outcomes all, some tailored and access and outcomes inequality in access targeted Information on Information on Information on outcomes at national, Minimal survey data outcomes from national outcomes at national regional, and local levels; Monitoring available; limited to individual levels; level; standards for standards for services and ensuring standards for provision standards exist for all services exist in some exist for most sectors; quality of ECD services; no sectors; system in place sectors; no system to system in place to enforcement to regularly monitor and monitor compliance regularly monitor enforce compliance compliance National Situational Assessment–Early seamlessly merge the NSA-ECD results into the SABER- ECD framework, NSA-ECD findings for system Childhood Development: NSA-ECD components have been incorporated into the end of the UNICEF’s NSA-ECD tool was developed by UNICEF Pacific SABER-ECD report, under the heading “Situational to meet the needs of the Pacific Island Countries. The Anaysis of ECD Implementation.” . Pacific Region’s Ministry of Education’s ECCE directors met in March 2012 to begin the development of Pacific Policy Goal 1: Establishing an Enabling Guidelines for the Development of National Quality Frameworks for ECCE–Programming for Ages Three to Environment Five. This meeting identified five system components ¾Policy Levers: Legal Framework • important to the Pacific Region for quality ECCE, with Intersectoral Coordination • Finance associated issues: An Enabling Environment is the foundation for the design 1. Policy/Legislation and Governance and implementation of effective ECD policies. 2 An 2. Human Resources enabling environment consists of the following: the 3. Curriculum, Child Assessment, and Environment existence of an adequate legal and regulatory framework 4. Performance Monitoring and Assessment to support ECD, coordination within sectors and across 5. Community Partnerships institutions to deliver services effectively, and sufficient fiscal resources with transparent and efficient allocation The NSA-ECD tool was created by UNICEF-Pacific in mechanisms. collaboration with the World Bank Group to address in particular how the system components nos. 2–5 are being implemented. Component no. 1, Policy/Legislation and Governance, is addressed in the SABER-ECD instruments, which is an initiative of the Human Development Network of the World Bank Group. To 2 Britto, Yoshikawa, and Boller 2011; Vargas-Baron 2005. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 4 Policy Lever 1.1: Substitutes, a global health policy framework adopted by Legal Framework the WHO. The legal framework comprises all of the laws and The provision of free preprimary education is not regulations that can affect the development of young mandated by national law. Rather than providing free children in a country. The laws and regulations that impact preprimary education services, SIG encourages local ECD are diverse because of the array of sectors that communities to take ownership of preprimary schools in influence ECD and because of the different constituencies their communities. The National Early Childhood that ECD policy can and should target, including pregnant Education Policy Statement (April 2008) states that women, young children, parents, and caregivers. kindergarten is for children aged three to five years, while the final year for young children aged five is National policies, while in draft, are not endorsed or considered “preparatory” for primary school. However formally implemented to promote appropriate dietary at this time, there are no laws to enforce the provision of consumption for young children and pregnant women. education before Grade 1 (age six). In the 2007 meeting of the Ministers of Health for the Pacific Island Countries, ministers identified protein- ECE is included in SIG’s Ministry of Education and Human energy malnutrition, vitamin mineral deficiency, and Resources Development (MEHRD) National Education breastfeeding as nutritional issues to be addressed in the Action Plan 2013–2015 and includes targets for Pacific Region. They agreed on the necessity of salt increased access, increased ECCE teacher training, iodization and flour fortification in the region. According quality standards, and increased access to resources. to the National Food Security, Food Safety, and Nutrition Once ECCE teachers receive certification, plans are in Policy 2010–2015, 49 percent children under the age of place to include them in in the salary structure, but this five are either stunted or severely stunted. Also, 48.5 has not yet been formalized. Although a small grants percent of children suffer from anemia, while the rate for scheme is also in place for communities to improve their women 15 to 49 years with anemia is 44.3 percent.3 ECCE center, parents are still expected to pay “contributions,” including fees for tuition, assessments, Iodine deficiency disorders in pregnant women or infants and “desk fees,” as well as for “optional” costs such as are the leading cause of preventable intellectual uniform, meals, teacher salary contribution, Parent- impairment and mental retardation. SIG has recognized Teacher Association (PTA) fees, and any transport costs the need to address nutritional issues for young children incurred by families to reach the ECCE center. and mothers, and the National Food Security, Food Safety, and Nutrition Policy 2010–2015 (April 2010) National regulations exist for some provision of health requires importers, processors, and traders to “ensure care for pregnant women and young children. SIG has iodized salt and fortified flour is imported into and used made efforts to ensure children have adequate access to mandatorily in the Solomon Islands in accordance with essential health services. Article 24 of the Convention of regulatory requirements.”4 However, this policy has not the Rights of the Child (CRC), ratified by SIG in April 1995, yet been finalized or endorsed, so implementation is not establishes the right to health care, which includes the mandated. government’s provision of sufficient health services. In the Solomon Islands, data from UNICEF’s Multiple Health care for young children is free of charge in the Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), 2006–10, show that 74 Solomon Islands, though private clinics charge for percent of children under six months of age are services. According to a representative of the Ministry of exclusively breastfed. Establishing regulatory Health and Medical Services (MHMS), well-child visits are frameworks to encourage breastfeeding can be an required for young children (however, no effective strategy to reduce infant mortality rates and documentation was provided in preparation of this promote healthy development. SIG promotes report that notes required well-child visits). MHMS breastfeeding for all children through the 1995 Solomon operates an Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI) Islands Breastfeeding Policy. It does not, however, set Policy, which requires that young children receive a regulatory measures in this area, and the government complete course of childhood immunizations. This has not adopted the International Code of Breast Milk includes a Vitamin A, Albendazole, and immunization 3 4 Figures are based on the 2006-2007 Solomon Islands Demographic and Page 14. Health Survey, of a national sample of more than 4,000 households. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 5 schedule for BCG, HepB1, Pentavalent (DPT, HepB, Hib), Child protection policies protect the rights of all OPV, MV, and TT. Despite the immunization policy and children, including those with disabilities. The Ministry prevention programs in place, coverage is still emerging. of Women, Youth, and Children Affairs (MWYCA) Only 79 percent of one-year-old children receive the developed the National Children’s Policy with National DPT3 vaccine; measles immunization was at 75 percent.5 Plan of Action (April 2010) with the aim to protect the The Solomon Islands has low-to-average immunization rights and meet the needs of all children in the Solomon rates compared with other countries in the region (table Islands. This policy also intends to rejuvenate the 5). National Advisory Committee on Children (NACC), first created in 1992. This policy commits to training judges Efforts have been made to promote health care for on child protection issues, as well as the creation of pregnant women. The National HIV Policy and specialized child advocates. The policy also guarantees Multisectoral Strategic Plan 2005–2010 (January 2005, access to a range of health, education, and social 3rd edition) covers prevention of parent-to-child protection services for children with disabilities and transmission of HIV and requires HIV and sexually vulnerable children. Although children with disabilities transmitted diseases screening for pregnant women, but have access to education through an Inclusive Education it has yet to be endorsed, which raises questions as to Policy, implementation is questionable and the Solomon the implementation of current practices. Islands have not ratified the Convention on the Rights of National policies exist that protect pregnant women Persons with Disabilities, which provides protections for and new mothers. Although SIG has policies that support children with disabilities. MEHRD’s National Early pregnant women and new mothers (Labour Act, Childhood Education Policy Statement (April 2008) Employment Act, and Breast Feeding Policy), the ILO promotes equitable access to quality ECCE for all young Maternity Protection Convention has not been ratified. children, including those with disabilities. However, no SIG mandates paid maternity leave as a combination conclusive policy is in place to provide orphans and between employer and government; however, this vulnerable children with a range of multisectoral ECD benefit is mainly for public sector workers only and services. provides 9 to 12 weeks of leave at a minimum of 25 The Solomon Island’s new Birth Registration Act has percent of wage (no range or maximum provided). been effective. The CRC states that all children have the Paternal leave is not provided. Nursing mothers are right to protection from being deprived of their identity. allowed to leave work for up to one hour twice a day, In 2008, the UNICEF Child Protection Baseline Survey which will be counted as working time with appropriate found that 0.1 percent births were registered in 2007, remuneration; however, no indication shows how long a the lowest rate in the Pacific. However, birth registration nursing mother has access to this benefit. Table 3 has now reached 80 percent. illustrates parental leave policies in Solomon Islands compared to some other Pacific Islands countries. Table 3: Regional Comparison of Parental Leave Policies Solomon Fiji Tonga Vanuatu Islands No parental 14 weeks at leave minimum 66% of 12 weeks at guaranteed for wage; paid by 17% of all workers; 12 employer (new 12 weeks at wage, 547 weeks at 100% legislation states minimum 25% days unpaid; wage for that costs will be of wage paid by government shared employer workers only, proportionally paid by across government employers) Source: ILO 2012. 5 because of some children don’t come take their immunization. We also have Per the MHMS National Health Report 2011 (August 2012). “This may be due to issues of cold chain and availability of vaccines, measles also a bit low some limitations in collecting accurate data” (p. 71). SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 6 Key Laws and Regulations Governing ECD Policy with National Plan of Action explicitly promotes an in the Solomon Islands integrated multisectoral approach to address issues x National Development Strategy, Vision: A United and Vibrant affecting children. The NACC is a Task Force comprising Solomon Islands, 2011–2020 (July 2011) x National Education Action Plan 2013–2015 different ministries and members that oversee issues x National Food Security, Food Safety & Nutrition Policy 2010–2015 related to children. It is responsible for coordination x National Children’s Policy with National Plan of Action: April 15, across ministries and NGOs to serve as the institutional 2010 x National Early Childhood Education Policy statement 2008 anchor for implementation and reporting of activities x Policy statement and Guidelines for grants to schools in the that promote the rights of children. MWYCA is the lead Solomon Islands ministry for coordination and maintains regular x Solomon Islands Education, Management and Information System (SIEMIS) 2011 Early Childhood Enrolment consultation with other government ministries (mainly x National Advisory Committee on Children (NACC) (TOR) MEHRD and MHMS) and key stakeholders. MWYCA has x Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development developed a National Children’s Policy with National Plan (MEHRD) 2012 Teachers Establishment x National Health Report 2011 of Action to establish mechanisms to coordinate across x MEHRD: Application form for registration of schools sectors for issues regarding all children, including those x MEHRD: Solomon Islands Teaching Service Handbook (Teaching who are early childhood-aged and older. It calls on Service Division, (TSD) x Public Service Unified Salary Structure—2010 education, health, and other sectors to mobilize x Solomon Islands Breast Feeding Policy 1995 resources and support for the development of women x Multi-Year Work Plan 2011–2012 and children, focusing on the “key strategic areas” of x Policy on Role Delineation of Health Services x Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) protection, development, survival, participation, and x Ministry Of Health and Medical Services (MHMS)—Pikinini planning. Although each sector has its own individual Boe/Gele Helth Rekod Buka (Boy/Girl Head Records Book) policy, this multisectoral policy attempts to link the x MEHRD-Performance Assessment Framework (PAF) 2009–2011 x National HIV Policy Multisectoral Strategic Plan 2005–2010 individual policies/sectors. The MEHRD’s National Early x MEHRD: Early Childhood Budget Childhood Education Policy Statement primarily focuses x MEHRD: Teacher’s Appraisal on education for children aged three to five, with the x Health and Sanitation Program: Multi-year Work Plan 2011–2012 x A Report on the Estimation of Basic Needs Poverty Lines, the acknowledgment that the “care” part of early childhood Incidence and Characteristics of Poverty in the Solomon Islands for children from birth to age three would be developed x MEHRD: Up-dated policy statement and Guidelines for grants to later in close collaboration with the MHMS and MWYCA schools in the Solomon Islands (p. 25) x Early Childhood Teacher’s Performance assessment report form (this has not yet occurred). The linkages across and x The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), ratified in coordination among sectors are not clearly 1995 implemented. It was reported that multisectoral x Umesh Sharma, Ph.D., “Inclusive and Special Education: A Way coordination meetings happen rarely, and no Forward in the Solomon Islands,” July 2012 coordination meetings take place at the subnational (provincial) levels. State and nonstate actors have the potential to Policy Lever 1.2: collaborate to promote the provision of quality ECCE. Intersectoral Coordination NACC was originally created in 1992 to act as “an Development in early childhood is a multidimensional advisory group to represent a coalition of government, process. 6 To meet children’s diverse needs during their non-government, and church organizations concerned early years, government coordination is essential, both and involved in child related areas at national and horizontally across different sectors as well as vertically provincial level.” 7 The original purpose of this advisory from the local to national level. In many countries, group was to monitor the situation of children in the nonstate actors (either domestic or international) Solomon Islands, seek ratification of the Convention on participate in ECD service delivery; for this reason, the Rights of the Child by SIG (1995), promote the mechanisms to coordinate with nonstate actors are also interests of child rights, and support the development of essential. the National Children’s Policy with National Plan of Action (2010). NACC, established under MWYCA, While a multisectoral strategy exists in the Solomon includes representation from the following Islands, coordination and implementation across organizations: SI Christian Association, Development sectors is informal and limited. The National Children’s Services Exchange, Policy and Evaluation Unit (Prime 6 7 Naudeau et al. 2011; UNESCO-OREALC 2004; Neuman 2007. NACC TOR 1992. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 7 Minister’s Office), MEHRD, Ministry of Finance, MHMS, effectiveness of other social investments and help Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Provincial governments address multiple priorities with single Government, Save the Children Australia, Ministry of investments. Development Planning, SINU, UNICEF, World Vision, The level of public expenditure on ECD is not NZAID, AuSAID, and Provincial Early Childhood Education coordinated or reported across all sectors. The National Coordinators. MEHRD is the current chair, and meetings Children’s Policy does not address the need for a national through NACC are informal and scheduled to meet coordinated budget to align expenditures for early monthly, although no documentation was presented to childhood care and education programs, and currently demonstrate meeting implementation. It was reported no coordination occurs between ministries funding ECD that once the National Children’s Policy and National activities. Programs related to early childhood are Plan of Action was completed, NACC is no longer funded individually within separate sectors. The budget considered cross-sectoral. for education planning, implementing, and monitoring Given that all preschools are community managed, for children aged three to five in ECCE centers falls under potential exists for partnerships between communities the MEHRD’s responsibility (as of 2004). MHMS oversees and SIG. However, no formal agreement is in place the budget and implementation for EPI and nutrition (as between MEHRD and communities, although MEHRD of 1990), while MWYCA oversees the budget and requests communities to be responsible for financial implementation for social and child protection issues (as assistance to teachers/teacher assistants not accredited of 2004). No specific budget support is seen for overall by MEHRD, teacher accommodation (if needed), ECD health outside of immunizations and nutrition. The securing land for ECCE facilities as well as maintenance only explicit criterion used for budgeting purposes is of ECCE facilities, and provision of support to provincial gender. ECCE development. MEHRD reports on ECCE budget allocation, but budget Coordination of ECD across sectors does not occur at expenditure data were not available. Budget allocation the level of service delivery. Despite the mechanisms for for ECCE within MEHRD has increased from SI$3,877,916 intersectoral coordination at the national level in 2010 to SI$9,740,669 in 2012. Costs covered by the established by the National Children’s Policy, a need ECCE budget, which ECCE centers qualify for once they exists for strengthened coordination at the national level are officially registered, include a SI$100 per student as well as combined delivery and integration of center grant, SI$500 school administration grant, and an interventions at the level of service delivery. additional SI$2,000 per remote center grant. When ECCE Collaboration with the health, nutrition, and child and centers are attached to primary schools, they get an social protection sectors would ensure that children are additional $320 if it is a rural school and $520 if it is an receiving comprehensive services for optimal urban school. Only registered ECCE centers are eligible development. for grants. However, MEHRD’s Up-Dated Policy Statement and Guidelines for Grants to Schools in Policy Lever 1.3: Solomon Islands (September 2011) states that ECCE Finance centers are allowed to charge school fees to families; no Although legal frameworks and intersectoral quantifier states whether this applies to private ECCE coordination are crucial to establishing an enabling centers only or not, so the assumption is that church, environment for ECD, adequate financial investment is community-owned, and public (those attached to key to ensure that resources are available to implement primary schools) centers can also charge fees. As of policies and achieve service provision goals. Investments November 2013, no ECCE centers were listed as being in ECD can yield high public returns but are often eligible for the remote area allowance. It is unclear how undersupplied without government support. Investments grants are determined once an ECCE center is registered; during the early years can yield greater returns than however, the act of getting a center registered has been equivalent investments made later in a child’s life cycle a barrier for communities trying to access grant funds. and can lead to long-lasting intergenerational benefits.8 Public expenditure costs for social protection are Not only do investments in ECD generate high and unknown. Turning to the health sector, the 2011 persistent returns, they can also enhance the 8 Valerio and Garcia 2012; WHO 2005; Hanushek and Kimko 2000; Hanushek 2003. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 8 operating budget for EPI was US$304,076.00 (MHMS and the number of teachers currently receiving a salary financed 45 percent of the EPI budget in 2010; funding under MEHRD is unknown. It is also unknown whether percentage for 2011 was not reported), and the budget financial data are collected for specific preschools, so for infant and young child feeding was US$20,000. A exact fee structures are unknown and vary by continued growth assessment program under the community. Parental contributions vary: Public ECCE Nutrition Unit within the MHMS has not yet been centers in urban Honiara charge SI$300 per term for four implemented, and no budget information was available. terms, while private ECCE centers in urban Honiara July 2013 was the scheduled implementation date for a charge SI$400 per term for four terms. Required fees biannual deworming and micronutrient activity, but no may include tuition, uniform, meals, transport fees, and budgeting information was available. medical fees. The level of ECD finance is inadequate to meet the Table 4 illustrates overall public and out-of-pocket health needs of the population, with disproportionate costs expenditures. 9 For health services, families pay a for ECD services for local communities, particularly in relatively low out-of-pocket cost, particularly compared the education sector. Strong evidence suggests that with other countries in the region. Health services are investing early in children will bring high returns to free of charge for young children in the Solomon Islands society in the future. MEHRD provides data for budget and include such care as immunizations, well-child visits, allocation for ECCE services. The annual education antenatal care, and treatments for malaria, tuberculosis, budget is funded by both SIG and donor agencies. The and diarrhea. Health care staff salaries range from ECCE allocation within the education budget (1 percent) SI$26,042.86 to SI$31,713.16 annually for nurses, and is allocated mainly for national-level activities (such as SI$41,460.53 to SI$65,937.36 annually for doctors. plans for the review of the ECCE policy and development Table 4: Regional Comparison of Select Health Expenditure of ECCE Framework, development of ECCE Minimum Indicators Quality Service Standards, and field-based training (FBT) Solomon Fiji Samoa Tonga Vanuatu for untrained ECCE teachers). However, it is unknown at Islands this time how many ECCE centers actually qualify for and Out-of-pocket expenditure as a receive government grants to support ECCE percentage of all 54% 66% 63% 68% 57% implementation, and funding support for local private health communities continues to be very weak. expenditure Out-of-pocket expenditure as a In light of the minimal funding allocated to ECCE by the percentage of 4 20 8 13 5 MEHRD, local communities bear most of the burden of total health financing ECCE services; as previously stated, the expenditures Government updated School Grants policy states that ECCE centers expenditure on can charge fees. Local communities pay for the 8.0 3.4 5.7 4.1 4.8 health as a construction of preschools, teacher salaries, resources, percentage of GDP and other school fees. In urban areas, teachers typically Source: WHO Global Health Expenditure Database 2010. receive a small salary, and in rural areas they may receive an allowance or in-kind support such as a form of labor, Policy Options to Strengthen the Enabling garden produce, etc. The MEHRD has recognized that Environment for ECD in the Solomon communities often do not have sufficient resources to Islands pay competitive salaries to teachers, making it difficult to maintain a preschool in their community. Plans are in Legal Framework place to add certified ECCE teachers to the salary ¾ Laws and policies exist but need enforceable structure (Public Service Unified Salary Structure 2012), regulations. SIG has made progress in creating laws and with annual salaries for FBT at SI$854.86, certificates at policies that promote young children’s development, SI$1,032.96, and SI$1,251.03. However, access to but it should consider focusing on establishing concrete training remains a barrier for untrained teachers, which regulations that can be enforced. An effective legal means they are not qualified to get a salary from MEHRD, framework that will have a true impact on ECD must establish a system that mandates the provision of 9 pharmaceuticals, therapeutic appliances, and other goods and services Out-of-pocket expenditure is any direct outlay by households, including gratuities and in-kind payments, to health practitioners and suppliers of whose primary intent is to contribute to the restoration or enhancement of the health status of individuals or population groups. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 9 services that will protect mothers and young children. Having policies in place to monitor the quality of and coordinate with community preschools is critical. However, it is more important to provide financial incentives for expanding access of community-based provision. Intersectoral Coordination ¾ A National Advisory Committee on Children is in place but needs to be reenergized and strengthened. SIG should be commended for its efforts to promote ECCE in recent years, including the ratification of the National Children’s Policy; however, a stronger multisectoral approach for ECD services in the country is necessary. In the education sector, improved collaboration from other sectors would be beneficial. To provide comprehensive services to young children, it is crucial to mobilize resources in the health and protection sectors. The existing intersectoral framework established by the National Policy for Children could serve as a model for the ECCE policy at the national level. However, activities under the National Policy for Children and the ECCE policy will need to be better coordinated at the level of service delivery. Guidelines for integrated service delivery across health, nutrition, social protection, and education could be established to ensure children receive integrated services. The previous acknowledgment that early childhood services for children from birth to age three years would be developed later in close collaboration with the MHMS and MWYCA should be followed through, developed andr implemented. Finance ¾ A transparent budget process is required for ECD spending across sectors. To efficiently provide comprehensive ECD services to the children of the Solomon Islands, the health and education sectors should coordinate budgets and develop a methodology for quantifying ECD investments. If each ministry reports disaggregated spending by ECD age group, SIG could better capture and monitor ECD services across sectors and identify the most cost effective interventions. An improved targeting mechanism to better address equity issues could ensure that all children have access to preprimary education regardless of ethnicity, isolation, gender, and race. One option is addressing the barriers to communities in accessing the provision of small community grants to cover preschool costs including teacher salaries, which the MEHRD notes has been a financial barrier for many communities. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 10 Figure 2: Essential Interventions during Different Periods of Young Children’s Development Policy Goal 2: Implementing Widely ¾ Policy Levers: Scope of Programs • Policy Lever 2.1: Coverage •Equity Scope of Programs Implementing Widely refers to the scope of available ECD programs, the extent of coverage (as a share of the Effective ECD systems have programs established in all eligible population), and the degree of equity within ECD essential sectors and ensure that every child and service provision. By definition, a focus on ECD involves expecting mothers have guaranteed access to the (at a minimum) interventions in health, nutrition, essential services and interventions they need to live education, and social and child protection and should healthfully. The scope of programs assesses the extent to target pregnant women, young children, and their which ECD programs across key sectors reach all parents and caregivers. A robust ECD policy should beneficiaries. include programs in all essential sectors and provide comparable coverage and equitable access across regions and socioeconomic status, especially reaching Figure 3 presents a summary of the key interventions the most disadvantaged young children and their needed to support young children and their families via families. different sectors at different stages in a child’s life. ECD programs are established in core ECD areas of focus. Although data are limited on the scope and service provision of many of these programs, programs in the SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 11 Solomon Islands are functioning in the education, health, Figure 3: Scope of ECD Interventions in Solomon Islands by nutrition, and protection sectors. The range of programs Target Population and Sector target children from birth to six years old, as well as pregnant women and mothers. Figure 3 presents a selection of ECD interventions in Solomon Islands. The majority of programs function within one sector. Table 5 shows that a range of ECD programs in the Solomon Islands are established in health, education, nutrition, and child protection. Data collection and analysis determined that health and nutrition sectors are established and implementing at scale, whereas the education and social/child protection sectors are established yet with limited scope of services. Although it was reported during interviews that selected government health interventions operate countrywide, including the EPI, the provision of bed nets, and antenatal health care for pregnant women at all levels of MHMS (clinics, provincial health centers/hospitals, and the national referral hospital), no official data are available. Nurses in rural clinics provide parenting programs, and it was reported that they provide home visits. Yet, although these programs operate in all six provinces, the geographical complexities and inadequate infrastructure system make it difficult to reach children in the most isolated parts of the country. Alongside SIG, development partners, such as UNICEF and World Vision, are active in the ECD arena, implementing complementary capacity-building activities in the effort to improve ECD in the Solomon Islands. World Vision has supported 100 percent coverage of community-based ECCE in two provinces (Makira and Maliata). Interventions for social and child protection were reported, although no information on funding or criteria were shared. Grants assistance for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs) are provided for four individuals (no ages given, so these individuals could be school-aged). Fifty young children receive interventions for special needs through the Red Cross, although the Red Cross operates the services outside of MEHRD. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 12 Table 5: ECD Programs and Coverage in the Solomon Islands Scale ECD intervention None Pilot At scale in Scaling Universal programs some regions nationally coverage Health Prenatal health care √ Comprehensive immunizations for infants √ Childhood wellness and growth monitoring √ Mosquito bed net distribution programs for young children and √ pregnant women Maternal depression screening of services X Education Publicly provided early childhood care and education X Publicly subsidized early childhood care and education √ Privately provided early childhood education √ Community-based early childhood care and education √ Nutrition Micronutrient support for pregnant women √ Food supplements for pregnant women √ Micronutrient support for young children √ Food supplements for young children √ Complementary feeding programs √ Breastfeeding promotion programs √ Feeding programs in preprimary schools X Parenting Parenting integrated into health/community programs √ Home visiting programs to provide parenting messages X Antipoverty Cash transfers conditional on ECD services or enrollment X Special needs Programs for OVCs √ Comprehensive A comprehensive system that tracks individual children’s needs X Source: SABER-ECD Policy Data Collection Instrument and SABER-ECD Program Data Collection Instrument. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 13 Policy Lever 2.2: The level of stunting is high, and access to essential ECD Coverage nutrition interventions is relatively low. Almost half of children below five years old in the Solomon Islands are A robust ECD policy should establish programs in all moderately or severely stunted, and 14 percent are essential sectors, ensure high degrees of coverage, and moderately or severely underweight. Stunting early in reach the entire population equitably–especially the life can lead to detrimental effects in a child’s physical, most disadvantaged young children–so that every child cognitive, socioemotional, and linguistic development. and expecting mother have guaranteed access to Because of the prevalence of malnutrition in the country, essential ECD services. efforts should be made to improve access to essential The level of access to essential ECD health interventions nutrition interventions. Table 7 shows the level of access is relatively low. As displayed in table 6, compared with to essential ECD nutrition interventions for young young children in other countries in the region, although children and pregnant women in the Solomon Islands the Solomon Islands has made great strides in improving and other Pacific Island Countries. Breast milk is birth registration rates, children have relatively low considered to be the best method to ensure an infant’s access to essential health interventions. For example, the intake of all the nutrients and calories for proper growth percentage of 1 year olds immunized for DPT3ß in the and development. WHO and UNICEF recommend Solomon Islands is nearly 10 percentage points below the continuous and exclusive breastfeeding until a child is six regional average. Similarly, pregnant women receive months of age. The National Breastfeeding Policy antenatal care considerably less than pregnant women in encourages exclusive breastfeeding, and 74 percent of neighboring countries. Access to antibiotics for children mothers exclusively breastfeed their children, which is under five years of age suspected of having pneumonia higher than the regional average as indicated in table 6. is extremely low (23 percent), and only 40 percent of More than 50 percent of pregnant women in the children below five years old sleep under an insecticide- Solomon Islands are anemic. The percentage of treated net (ITN). households that consume iodized salt is currently unknown; it is expected that once the promotion of Table 6: Level of Access to Essential Health and Protection Interventions consumption of iodized salt by MHMS becomes regulated, then indicator data will be collected. If the Solomon Fiji Samoa Tonga Vanuatu government is to promote the optimal development of Islands young children in the Solomon Islands through the Percentage of one- prevention of malnutrition, access to these essential year-old children nutrition interventions must be improved. immunized against 79% 99% 87% 99% 68% DPT (corresponding vaccines: DPT3ß) Table 7: Regional Comparison of Level of Access to Essential Rate of births Nutrition Services for Young Children and Pregnant Women attended by skilled 33a 99 81 98 74 Solomon attendants Fiji Samoa Tonga Vanuatu Islands Percentage of Children below five children below five Not Not Not with moderate/ 49%a 20% years of age with Not Not Not available available available 23 48 severe stunting suspected available available available Infants exclusively pneumonia Not breastfed until six 74 40 51 40 receiving antibiotics available months of age Percentage of Infants with low pregnant women 13 10 10 3 10 65 100 93 99 84 birth weight receiving antenatal care (at least once) Prevalence of Percentage of anemia in pregnant 51 56 33 34 57 children less than Not Not Not women 40 56 Source: UNICEF Country Statistics 2007; WHO Global Database on Anemia 2005. five years of age available available available sleeping under ITN a. Data provided by SIG, updated through multisectoral review, May 2015, based Birth registration Not Not 2013–14 statistics. 80 48 26 rate 2000–2010 available available Source: UNICEF Country Statistics 2007 and 2011. The level of access to ECCE is far from universal. About a. Data provided by SIG, updated through multisectoral review, May 2015, based on 2013–14 statistics. half of the children in Solomon Islands have access to ECCE. In 2011, the gross enrollment rate, which reflects the total enrollment as a percentage of total population SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 14 of the respective appropriate age for school level, was Policy Lever 2.3: approximately 45–50 percent for ECCE, while the gross Equity enrollment rate for primary education was 134.3 Based on the robust evidence of the positive effects ECD percent. 10 The net enrollment rate, which reflects the percentage of all children with the official ECCE age that interventions can have for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, every government should pay special are enrolled, was 32.5 percent for preprimary education attention to equitable provision of ECD services.11 One of and 90 percent for primary education (Solomon Islands the fundamental goals of any ECD policy should be to Education Management Information System [SIEMIS] provide equitable opportunities to all young children and 2011). A recent government review of this report their families. included an update to these data as 100 percent gross enrollment rate for preprimary (government review Some disparities in access to education, health, and update, May 2015). The earlier discrepancy illustrates social protection interventions exist, particularly for that, although half of all children of any age had attended access to adequate sanitation. Data from the 2007 preprimary school, fewer than two out of five attended UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) show preprimary school at the appropriate age. how access to ECD services can vary by socioeconomic status and geographical location. Data collected based Figure 4 displays available enrollment data for the on socioeconomic status and geographical location Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa, Fiji, and Tonga for comparison are limited. Of the data available, figure 5 2006–10 and reveals that the Solomon Islands has shows that women and children from the poorest wealth maintained average gross enrollment rates compared to quintile have less access than those in the wealthiest its neighboring countries. As stated in the Solomon quintile. Pregnant women from the richest quintile are Islands National Education Action Plan 2013–2015, the more likely to have a skilled attendant present at the ECCE net enrollment rate is planned to increase by at time of their delivery. A difference of 4 percentage points least 10 percent by 2015, with the National ECCE Policy is seen between the country’s poorest and richest Statement’s (2008) overall goal of providing access to preprimary education for every child in the country. If children below five who are underweight, indicating that underweight prevalence is an issue regardless of the Solomon Islands is to reach this goal, continued effort socioeconomic status. must be made to increase enrollment rates. Figure 5: Equity in Access to ECD Services by Socioeconomic Figure 4: Gross Preprimary Enrollment Rates in Pacific Islands Status (Age 3–5) 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Skilled Underweight attendant at prevalence in Poorest Quintile birth (%) children under 5 (%) Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics 2010. Richest Quintile Source: UNICEF Country Statistics (MICS 2007). 10 11 MEHRD, Performance Assessment Framework Report, 2009–2011 (August Engle et al. 2011; Naudeau et al. 2011 2012); data from SIEMIS. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 15 Figure 6 demonstrates the discrepancy in access to ECD Figure 7: Number of Children and Number of ECCE Centers by services by rural and urban populations in the Solomon Province, 2011 Islands. Pregnant women in urban areas are more likely to have their births attended by a skilled health worker SI TOTAL 482 22817 than those in rural areas. More than nine out of 10 Western 55 families in urban areas have access to improved 2865 sanitation facilities, but the rate of access to improved 20 sanitation facilities in rural areas is unknown. Temotu 899 Rennell & Bellona 7 Figure 6: Equity in Access to ECD Services by Geographical 148 Location 164 Malaita 6889 Makira & Ulawa 69 2858 Isabel 55 1892 Honaira 33 2862 Guadalcanal 43 2645 Choiseul 23 1014 Central 13 Source: UNICEF Country Statistics (MICS 2007). 745 1 10 100 1000 10000100000 As demonstrated in figures 5 and 6, data on education, health, and social protection interventions based on # ECE Centers # Pupils socioeconomic and status and location are limited. Source: MEHRD, Performance Assessment Framework Report, 2009–2011 Greater attempts to collect data based on disparities will (August 2012); data from SIEMIS. help in future targeting of interventions for the most disadvantaged. Limited data are available to reveal equity in access The difference in access to preschool between different based on special needs. An inclusive education policy groups is relatively small. Boys and girls have equal within MEHRD begins at age five years, which is the age access to ECCE services in the Solomon Islands. The gross at which children can enroll in and receive services from enrollment rate of ECCE for girls is 43.8 percent, and for the Red Cross (currently 50 children in total between 60 boys it is 43.7 percent (SIEMIS 2013). The Solomon and 84 months are receiving services through this Islands currently do not track preschool attendance “special school”). Currently no link is in place between according to urban-rural or socioeconomic differentials. the ECCE Policy and the Inclusive Education Policy, and However, data on the number of children attending although the ECCE Policy does not prohibit inclusion in preschool as well as the number of ECCE centers are any way, it does not emphasize the implementation of collected by overall province. inclusion within ECCE, which is currently a challenge. A current study, “Inclusive and Special Education: A Way Figure 7 demonstrates the inequity of number of centers Forward in the Solomon Islands” (July 2012), did not and number of young children accessing ECCE across the include the early childhood education years. The number provinces. The province with the highest number of of children with special needs in ECCE, if any, is unknown. pupils and centers, Malaita, which is also considered a “disadvantaged” geographical area, is due to the support Policy Options to Implement ECD Widely in World Vision has provided the province in establishing Solomon Islands community-based ECCE centers. Scope of Programs ¾ Collaboration and program expansion needs to occur to ensure places for the most disadvantaged. Despite the existence of some ECD programs in the Solomon SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 16 Islands, multiple sectors could improve collaboration to Monitoring and Ensuring Quality refers to the existence provide comprehensive programs to better address the of information systems to monitor access to ECD services complex nature of child development. It is important to and outcomes across children, standards for ECD ensure that differentiated interventions are available to services, and systems to monitor and enforce compliance target different stages of children’s development. with those standards. Ensuring the quality of ECD Additionally, more programs that reach parents and interventions is vital because evidence has shown that caregivers would promote an optimal environment for unless programs are of high quality, the impact on children to learn and grow. Mapping all ECD programs in children can be negligible, or even detrimental. the country would be a cost-efficient first step to ensure a larger scope of ECD program implementation as well as Policy Lever 3.1: improved coordination across sectors. Data Availability Accurate, comprehensive, and timely data collection can Coverage promote more effective policy making. Well-developed ¾ Current coverage of services does not reach the most information systems can improve decision making. In disadvantaged. It is recommended that the MHMS and particular, data can inform policy choices regarding the other sectors develop a strategy that will promote volume and allocation of public financing, staff improved coverage to health services for young children. recruitment and training, program quality, adherence to The effectiveness of the existing policy framework for standards, and efforts to target children most in need. provision of health and protection services can be Administrative and survey data are collected on access improved (see tables 6 and 7). Additionally, the current to education, and survey data are collected on access to coverage level for preprimary education is still child protection, health, and nutrition interventions. inadequate. If SIG is to reach the goal outlined in the The MICS survey collects household data on outcomes National Education Action Plan that all children have and access to interventions in health, nutrition, water access to all levels of basic education, including and sanitation, education, and child protection. MICS expanded access to ECCE, it will need to strengthen was the primary source for the majority of the health and governance at both the national and community levels to nutrition indicators discussed in sections 2.2 and 2.3. provide increased coverage of preprimary education. Although survey data provide one valuable source for Equity effective policy making, administrative data collection ¾ Activities are not currently planned for equity, and availability are also needed. The education sector in meaning they are not targeted and implemented in a the Solomon Islands has some readily available data on way to reach the most disadvantaged. Coordination of ECD services, although data on some indicators are not efforts at the level of service delivery will be useful for captured. According to representatives from the MHMS, reaching poor families and children, especially those data on usage of ECD services and facilities are collected living in rural areas, who currently are not receiving annually; however, the data are not readily available equitable access to essential ECD services. Expanded (examples include documentation on well-child visits and coverage and targeting mechanisms in the health, social nutrition). SIEMIS produces an annual statistical report protection, and education sectors would ensure that the based on an annual school census. In 2011 only 45.8 hardest to reach children are guaranteed access to percent of the surveys sent to ECCE centers were existing interventions. For example, given that there is a received by SIEMIS, which is a significantly lower low presence of birth attendants in rural areas, it might response rate compared to primary and secondary be worth exploring whether a correlation exists in access schools in the Solomon Islands. MEHRD has noted the to these two interventions; women in rural areas with concern with delayed and incomplete data collection poor access could be simultaneously targeted with both from ECCE services and hopes to strengthen ECCE school interventions. data collection. For each type of school (church, community, and private) and each of the six provinces, Policy Goal 3: Monitoring and Ensuring SIEMIS collects information on number of students, Quality schools, teachers, and teacher qualifications in ECCE ¾ Policy Levers: Data Availability • Quality centers. SIEMIS data also differentiate access for gender Standards • Compliance with Standards and province. Administrative data are not available to SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 17 draw comparisons in access for different levels of Box 2: Chile Crece Contigo: The Biopsychsocial Development socioeconomic status, special needs, or rural versus Support Program urban regions. Table 8 illustrates the series of key Summary: One of the key accomplishments in a program in indicators collected by MICS and SIEMIS to track the Chile called Chile Crece Contigo is the ability to provide timely, provision of services to promote young children’s targeted service delivery. A core element that makes this development. possible is the “Biopsychosocial Development Support Program,” which tracks the individual development of Data are not collected to measure child development children. The program commences during the mother’s initial outcomes. It is important to measure child development prenatal check-up, at which point an individual “score card” is outcomes to monitor how children are developing in the created for the child. Each of the primary actors within the physical, cognitive, linguistic, and socioemotional Chile Crece Contigo comprehensive service network— including family support unit, public health system, public domains. Data on these child outcomes can inform policy education system, and other social services—have access to makers how existing ECD services may be impacting the child’s file and are required to update it as the child children’s developmental domains and which areas may progresses through the different ECD services. If there is any need more support. Currently in the Solomon Islands, kind of vulnerability, such as inadequate nutrition, the system other than physical development, which is measured by identifies the required service to address this issue. Through MICS, data on child development outcomes are not the integrated approach to service delivery and information collected. As the system of monitoring ECD becomes system management, these services are delivered at the right more established, the country could consider a system time and in a relevant manner, according to each child’s need. that tracks individual children’s development outcomes from infancy throughout the early childhood period. Key considerations for the Solomon Islands: It is not expected that the Solomon Islands create such a comprehensive Table 8: Availability of Data to Monitor ECD in the Solomon multisectoral tracking system. However, within the NACC, Islands National Children’s Policy and National Plan of Action, a Administrative data potential system is already in place that identifies what data Indicator Tracked should be collected and monitored; child monitoring could be Special needs children enrolled in ECCE (number of) X streamlined across all relevant sectors if sectors both Children attending well-child visits (number of) X strengthen and link the data they collect within the National Children benefiting from public nutrition 9 Plan of Action. This could be a first step toward providing interventions (number of) monitoring a child’s overall development across health and Women receiving prenatal nutrition interventions X education and could then identify how services could provide (number of) a responsive system that is tailored to the individual child’s Children enrolled in ECCE by subnational region 9 need. (number of) Average per child-to-teacher ratio in ECCE X Policy Lever 3.2: Is ECCE spending in education sector differentiated 9 Quality Standards within education budget? Is ECD spending in health sector differentiated within X Ensuring quality ECD service provision is essential. A focus health budget? on access—without a commensurate focus on ensuring Survey data quality—jeopardizes the very benefits that policy makers Indicator Tracked hope children will gain through ECD interventions. The Population consuming iodized salt (%) X quality of ECD programs is directly related to better Vitamin A supplementation rate for children 6–59 X cognitive and social development in children.12 months (%) Early learning development standards have not been Anemia prevalence among pregnant women (%) X established; an ECCE Curriculum Framework exists. Children below the age of five registered at birth (%) 9 Children immunized against DPT3 at age 12 months 9 Early learning development standards define indicators (%) in all areas of development (areas are identified by the Pregnant women who attend four antenatal visits (%) 9 country; examples include developmental indicators in Children enrolled in ECCE by socioeconomic status X physical development, cognition/intellectual, (%) social/emotional, cultural/spiritual, and language). These standards have not yet been defined within the 12 Taylor and Bennett 2008; Bryce et al. 2003; Naudeau et al. 2011; Victoria et al. 2008. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 18 Solomon Islands context; data are not collected on child and Solomon Islands National University (SINU) has development outcomes. Although the current ECCE phased out the certificate program (although it is Curriculum Framework provides a general description of supposed to continue as the field based training). Pre- the areas of development, it does not have clearly and in-service training is mandatory per the policy, but developed standard outcomes. It is expected that an ECE because of lack of funds and no budget allocation for Teacher Handbook (currently in draft) will provide training, delivery of in-service training has been teachers better definitions of child outcomes. inconsistent (the last field based training was in 2010), although a new six-month ECE certificate course was The Solomon Islands National ECCE Policy Statement implemented in 2014, with a class size of 30. MEHRD’s states that a national holistic ECCE curriculum is a policy Teaching Service Division is responsible for regulating priority for improved preschool quality. MEHRD has preservice training for ECCE teachers, yet currently no developed an ECCE Curriculum Framework (April 2010), mechanism is in place for enforcement. although it is not “user-friendly” for most community- based ECCE teachers; MEHRD is currently developing an Established infrastructure and service delivery ECCE Teacher Handbook for curriculum implementation. standards for ECCE exist. The ECCE policy states the child-to-teacher ratio should be a minimum of 15:1 and Minimum requirements for ECCE professionals exist. a maximum of 25:1. Although it is commendable that a MEHRD’s Solomon Islands Teaching Service Handbook standard child-to-teacher ratio has been established, the (December 2011) has two qualification levels for international standard ratio to strive for is 15:1. teachers, “provisionally registered” and “permanent Additionally, class size standards could be more attentive registered.” ECCE teachers are included in this structure. to the age of the child, with smaller child-to-teacher Provisional teachers (also known as “qualified” teachers) ratios for younger children. MEHRD states that must have a minimum of one year of technical, preschools should operate four hours daily (8 AM to 12 vocational, or specialist training from a recognized PM) for instruction, with teachers being expected to work tertiary institution. A provisional certificate is valid for a full 8.5-hour day (8 AM to 4:30 PM), including time for two years, with the possibility of renewal for another two lesson planning, resource development, administration, years. Permanent teachers (also known as “certified” recruitment of unenrolled children, and community teachers) have completed a minimum one year of mobilization. teacher training and earned a certificate, diploma, degree, Master’s, and/or Doctorate in Teaching or The ECCE policy has established detailed infrastructure Education. A third classification of “teacher’s helper” or standards and requirements for building facilities, “teacher’s aide” does not require training in ECCE or equipment, and learning resources for ECCE centers to teaching but must have completed Form 6. be child friendly, safe, and healthy. For a school to be registered, it must apply for registration and be Under the ECCE policy, at least one teacher in an ECCE inspected by the Provincial Education Authority. The center must hold a recognized ECCE-teacher Provincial Education Authority may recommend to the qualification or be in training when no certified teacher Permanent Secretary-MEHRD the closure of an ECCE is available. Per the ECCE policy, minimum qualifications center for any of the following infractions: facilities do include a certificate or diploma in ECCE awarded by a not conform to requirements relating to health and recognized tertiary institution. Once more than 25 safety; ECCE program is detrimental to a child’s children are enrolled, an ECCE center can employ a development and learning; the ECCE center is not teacher’s assistant, “preferably with an introductory recognized by the education authority; and/or the certificate for field based training can be appointed … teacher in charge is not adequately trained to manage when an assistant is not available, unqualified teachers the center. No ongoing monitoring or system rewards can be attracted to the center who must enroll in field quality improvement (for example, steps in based training after 2 years of practice.” 13 The field accreditation). based training includes the following topics: Child Development, Learning Areas, Working with Young Children, Language and Culture, and Administration and Management. However, no strategic plans are in place to support the upgrading of ECCE teacher qualifications, 13 ECE Policy Statement, p. 31. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 19 Policy Lever 3.3: table 9 is reflected in the classroom: Fewer classrooms Compliance with Standards have access to a trained teacher, so more children would need to be placed within a classroom to reach a qualified Establishing standards is essential to providing quality teacher, significantly affecting the quality of the ECD services and to promoting the healthy development classroom, because the more children there are, the less of children. Once standards have been established, it is individualized attention they can get. Table 10 provides critical that mechanisms are put in place to ensure more detail on pupil-teacher ratio, by training and by compliance with standards. province. According to administrative data, ECCE centers Table 10: Pupil: Teacher Ratio, Trained and Untrained, by generally do not meet basic minimum standards. Province, 2009–2011 Comparing the minimum standards set by the ECCE Policy Statement to the 2011 SIEMIS school census data, the standards are not being implemented. According to the 2011 SIEMIS, of the 1,313 total ECCE teachers, only 35 percent (456) are trained, leaving 65 percent (857) of teachers without training. Table 9 provides more information, desegregated by gender and province. SIEMIS does not collect the distinction as to the type of Turning to infrastructure, the ECCE policy requires one training (provisional certificate, certificate, diploma, toilet for every 15 children per ECCE center (and, when degree) an ECCE teacher has, which could be useful for ECCE center is attached to a primary school, an ECCE- researching the impact of different teacher training over exclusive toilet must be built or made available) and time on student performance. There is a question as to access to a safe drinking water supply. According to whether SINU will continue supporting the field based SIEMIS, the toilet-to-child ratio ranges from 16 in Malaita training, and reports conflict as to whether MEHRD is to 37 in Central, with a national average toilet-to-child currently recognizing certificates earned through field ratio of 23.2 (see table 11). This indicates that not based training participation. enough toilets are available throughout the ECCE Table 9: Total Number of Trained and Untrained Teachers for subsector. In addition, only 35 percent of ECCE centers ECCE by Gender and Province, 2009–2011 have access to a safe drinking water supply (see table 12). These data demonstrate that ECCE centers do not meet compliance with minimum standards. Although SIEMIS collects data on compliance on these standards, it does not collect information on compliance with standards for amount of space and other structural elements of ECCE centers. SIEMIS also does not make the distinction between ECCE centers that are attached to primary schools and those that are standalone community based, so administrative data cannot be compared or be considered truly representative of the The ECCE policy states that child-to-teacher ratio should ECCE center situation (centers that are attached to be a minimum 15:1 and a maximum 25:1, and the primary schools may have advantages compared to average national ratio in 2011 was 17 children per one community-based centers). In the future, the compliance teacher in a classroom. However, when taking into of all infrastructure standards should be monitored. The account whether the teacher is trained or not, the ratio child-to-teacher ratio and the other basic standards are significantly changes; there is only one trained ECCE only several proxy measures for the quality of learning teacher for every 50 children and 29 children for every that occurs in ECCE centers, and it is difficult to ascertain untrained teacher. This represents how the reality of how well preschools comply with other quality standards. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 20 of Agreement with communities for ECCE center Table 11: Pupil-to-Toilet Ratio in ECCE by Province, 2009– 2011 implementation, no current structure exists between MEHRD and local communities. Improved coordination for the development of and strengthening Preschool Management Committees could provide MEHRD an invaluable opportunity to enforce compliance with quality standards. These community-operated committees are currently responsible for hiring and paying teachers as well as monitoring and maintaining school infrastructure. Through formal partnerships with MEHRD they could be Table 12: Number of ECCE Centers with Access to Clean and Safe Water by Province, 2009–2011 placed in charge of ongoing monitoring standards for ECCE center licensure. Given that the MEHRD has expressed that its role is to ensure quality learning in an ECCE system that is almost entirely community-run, better support to the Preschool Management Committees could be an effective strategy for ensuring quality standards are met at the local level. Under the ECCE policy, various departments within Policy Options to Monitor and Ensure ECD MEHRD are responsible for promoting and monitoring the quality of education and care provided in Quality in Solomon Islands community preschools; however, implementation of Quality Standards monitoring is infrequent. As the ECCE policy states, the ¾ There are no Minimum Quality Standards for child Inspectorate Division is responsible for overall quality outcomes. Identified Early Learning and Development control and is responsible for the inspection of ECCE Standards could be used for monitoring child teachers, infrastructure, facilities, equipment, and development outcomes as well as provide a potential centers. Provincial Education Authorities are responsible multisectoral tool for use with child protection activities for overseeing ECCE centers within their province, through parenting support and linked with MHMS including supporting all field based training logistics and growth monitoring activities. It is highly recommended all ongoing support for ECCE including implementation, that the MEHRD comply with its stated goal to finalize monitoring, and evaluation of ECCE centers and the ECCE curriculum and to train teachers to use it assessment of probationary ECCE teachers. However, effectively. Utilization of this universal curriculum and beyond the initial inspection at the time of ECCE center draft ECCE Teacher Handbook could better guarantee registration, no set ongoing monitoring mechanism improved school readiness throughout the country. ensures continued compliance. Monitoring is currently fully dependent on financial support to MEHRD and is not In the Solomon Islands ECCE policy, MEHRD has accepted reflected in the budget, so it is infrequent. Because all the responsibility for teacher training. Thus, SIEMIS data are based on self-recording by ECCE centers, strengthening the implementation of the curriculum in the data on compliance to standards cannot be validated its teacher training modules will be a useful strategy to in the absence of monitoring. promote effective teaching and address the multiple domains of children’s development at the level of service In addition to better enforcement of monitoring current delivery. MEHRD should also revisit the use of field based quality indicators, other mechanisms could be put in training as a way to provide equity in training access for place to further enforce established quality standards; a rural teachers and formally recognize those who have stronger monitoring system could ensure that ECCE earned their certificates. professionals provide quality learning to all children. No current formal structure supports the development and If MEHRD adjusted SIEMIS to track the type of training a implementation of preschool management committees. teacher receives, then not only can ongoing training be Although World Vision has implemented Memorandums targeted in a more sustainable way, but MEHRD could SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 21 also track the impact of type and level of teacher Comparing Official Policies with Outcomes certification on student performance over time. SINU The existence of laws and policies alone does not always should also have clear, achievable plans on how to guarantee a correlation with desired ECD outcomes. In deliver teacher training if field based training (FBT) is discontinued, or delay the discontinuation of FBT until all many countries, policies on paper and the reality of ECE teachers receive this training opportunity as a access and service delivery on the ground are not minimum level of training. The provision of FBT for aligned. Table 13 compares ECD policies in the Solomon untrained teachers can be seen as providing “equity” for Islands with ECD outcomes. young children to access a trained teacher, until those Table 13: Comparing ECD Policies with Outcomes in the teachers who receive FBT can then access further Solomon Islands training opportunities. ECD policies Outcomes Rather than a wide range of minimum and maximum Nutrition Rate of exclusive National Food Security, Food Safety ECCE class size standards, MEHRD could mandate ratios breastfeeding until & Nutrition Policy 2010–2015 that are specific to age groups. For children four to five the age of six Solomon Islands Breast Feeding years old, the ratio could be 15:1, but for children two to months: 74% Policy 1995 three years old, smaller class sizes of 6–12:1 would be Health Children immunized more suitable because of their age and differing needs. Expanded Program of with DPT (one year Immunization Policy old): 79% Data Availability and Compliance with Child protection Birth registration Standards Birth Registration Act rate: 80% Education Net preprimary ¾ Monitoring and compliance mechanisms with Preprimary education is not enrollment rate: quality standards should be strengthened in the mandatory 32.5% Solomon Islands. Monitoring and compliance mechanisms with quality standards should be strengthened in Solomon Islands. All SIEMIS data are based on self-recording by ECCE centers, and so the data on compliance to standards cannot be validated in the absence of monitoring. Financial support for monitoring ECCE services should be fully reflected in MEHRD’s budget as overall program support. Preschool Management Committees are a logical and invaluable resource that is currently underutilized by MEHRD. Supporting the development and implementation of these committees would be extremely valuable. Additionally, providing technical assistance to these community organizations would better equip them to evaluate and report how well local ECCE centers meet the standards outlined by MEHRD. This improved support to Preschool Management Committees could help create mechanisms to enforce quality learning environments in preschools across the Solomon Islands. Box 3 provides examples of strategies to implement these mechanisms, based on international experience of promoting community empowerment management of ECD services. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 22 Box 3: Relevant Lessons from International Experiences in all nine policy levers. SABER-ECD assessment of policies Monitoring and Ensuring Quality: Community Management and programs in neighboring Pacific Island Countries is of ECD Services currently being conducted, and regional comparisons of Example from Mexico: The government of Mexico created the Quality ECD policy goals and levers are forthcoming. Schools Program (Programa Escuelas de Calidad) in 2001 to promote community participation in schools and allow local stakeholders to address the needs of the schools. The national government provides school grants to local committees to improve school quality. Committees are also provided technical assistance in designing, implementing, and monitoring their quality improvement plans. Parents increased their participation and supervision of the schools and teachers after participating in this program. Example from Indonesia: Introduced in 2007 by the Indonesia Ministry of Home Affairs, the National Community Empowerment Program in Rural Areas (PNPM) provides community planning and block grants to increase demand for maternal and child health services and preprimary education. Communities are mobilized to expand ECED services, including parental education, nutrition counseling, and access to preprimary education. The Indonesian program has positively impacted health and education outcomes for young children and could serve as an exemplary first step in the Solomon Islands in strengthening and coordinating quality ECD services across sectors. Key points for the Solomon Islands: In initial phases, the Solomon Islands certainly does not need to create a system as advanced as that in Mexico, or even Indonesia. However, providing communities the tools and guidance to develop and/or strengthen Preschool Management Committees with some financial and technical support could not only support improved Monitoring and Ensuring of Quality, but also result in a more transparent and efficient use of public resources. Additionally, as seen in Indonesia, this strategy can be achieved across both health and education sectors in the Solomon Islands. Research shows that through increasing accountability of local stakeholders, school-based management (SBM) can be a relatively low-cost strategy for making public spending more efficient. If SBM reform is to take place in the Solomon Islands, it will be important to rigorously evaluate the progress of the system to ensure that impact is truly achieved. Preliminary Benchmarking and International Comparison of ECD in the Solomon Islands Table 14 presents the classification of ECD policy in the Solomon Islands within each of the nine policy levers and three policy goals. The SABER-ECD classification system does not rank countries according to any overall scoring; rather, it is intended to share information on how different ECD systems address the same policy challenges. The levels of development across the three policy goals in the Solomon Islands range from “Latent” to “Emerging.” A policy framework for equitable ECD service provision and coordination exists, but significant areas for improvement remain. Table 15 presents the status of ECD policy development in the Solomon Islands alongside a selection of OECD countries and its neighbors, Tonga and Vanuatu. Sweden is home to one of the world’s most comprehensive and developed ECD policies and achieves a benchmarking of “Advanced” in SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 23 Table 14: Benchmarking Early Childhood Development Policy in the Solomon Islands Level of Level of ECD policy goal Policy lever development development Legal Framework  Establishing an Enabling Environment Intersectoral Coordination   Finance Scope of Programs  Implementing Widely Coverage  Equity  Monitoring and Ensuring Data Availability  Quality Standards  Quality  Compliance with Standards  Latent Emerging Established Advanced Legend: Table 15: International Classification and Comparison of ECD Systems ECD policy Level of development Policy lever Solomon goal Vanuatu Australia Chile Sweden Turkey Tonga Islands Legal Establishing an Framework        Enabling Coordination  Environment       Finance       Scope of Programs  Implementing       Widely Coverage        Equity      Data Availability        Monitoring Quality and Ensuring Standards        Quality Compliance with Standards        Latent Emerging Established Advanced Legend: SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 24 includes who provides oversight, what will be Situational Analysis of monitored, and how often monitoring should take ECD Implementation place. 5. Family and Community Partnerships portrays the ¾ System Components : Policy, relationship between government (oversight Legislation, and Governance; Human provision) and family and communities (ECCE center Resources; Curriculum, Child Assessment, ownership and implementation). and Environment; Performance Monitoring and Assessment; Community The NSA-ECD tool was created by UNICEF Pacific in Partnerships collaboration with the World Bank Group to address in particular how system components no. 2 to 5 are being UNICEF’s NSA-ECD tool was developed by UNICEF Pacific implemented. Component no. 1, Policy/Legislation and to meet the needs of the Pacific Island Countries. The Governance, is mostly addressed in the SABER-ECD Pacific Region’s Ministry of Education’s ECCE directors instruments of SABER-ECD; additional analysis regarding met in March 2012 to begin the development of Pacific implementation is provided below. To seamlessly merge Guidelines for the Development of National Quality the NSA-ECD results into the World Bank Group’s SABER- Frameworks for ECCE—Programming for Ages Three to ECD framework, NSA-ECD findings for system Five. This meeting identified five system components components have been incorporated into this SABER- important to the Pacific Region for quality ECCE, with ECD report. associated issues: 1. Policy, Legislation, and Governance encompasses The following section reflects the ECCE situation analysis strategy and regulation on how to support ECCE. in the Solomon Islands per UNICEF Pacific’s identified 2. Human Resources states who will work with young system components strategy with the Pacific region. As children, what qualifications and training they need, SIG has participated in this joint World Bank and how they will be compensated. Group/UNICEF pilot, the “ratings” system of the 3. Curriculum, Child Assessment, and Environment components is for summary purposes only and should describes how the children will be taught, what they not be seen as an official ranking compared to baseline, are learning, and the best learning environments for or to be compared to other countries. young children. 4. Performance Monitoring and Assessment illustrates how quality will be defined and monitored; this Table 16: Summary of ECD Implementation of System Components in the Solomon Islands ECD system component Level of development Implementation Level of development Access Policy, legislation, and governance Quality Access Human resources Quality Curriculum, child assessment, and Access environment Quality Access Performance monitoring and assessment Quality Access Community partnerships Quality Latent Emerging Established Advanced Legend: SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 25 ECD System Component: program and allocate adequate resources for … Policy, Legislation, and remuneration, education, and training.” Plans are Governance underway to include certified ECCE teachers in the MEHRD teacher salary scale; however, a barrier exists in As previously mentioned, SIG has a multisectoral plan in getting teachers certified so they can then qualify for the the form of the “National Children’s Policy,” which is salary scale (this will be addressed further under the limited in implementation. MEHRD’s ECCE Policy section “ECD System Component: Human Resources”). Statement, drafted in April 2008, has been in place for In addition to the inability to qualify for the salary scale, more than four years and is due to be reviewed during another implication of the teacher certification barrier is 2013. The Pacific Region has recently recommended the that ECCE centers cannot be registered—thus making importance of addressing certain quality indicators them eligible for school grants—unless they have at least within country ECCE policies; these indicators are meant one head ECCE teacher who is certified. Of the 540 total to strengthen the environment for quality ECCE centers listed in SIEMIS in 2011, only 43 percent implementation. These indicators, and whether the (232 ECCE centers) are registered. In addition, once an current ECCE Policy Statement in SIG includes them, are ECCE center is registered, no formal ongoing monitoring described in table 17. and/or accreditation system ensures maintenance of Table 17: Quality indicators—Environment for Access quality delivery. Indicators Found in Although a policy addresses small grants 14 for ECCE existing centers, requirements include having a bank account, ECCE policy completing the yearly national EMIS system (SEIMIS) References/links to Convention on the X form, having a trained/certified teacher, and registering Rights of the Child the center. Although grants can be used toward teaching Emphasizes the use of vernacular with 9 and learning resources, there is no link to any service young children standards or improvement plans, nor is there Addresses community partnerships 9 accountability for how communities spend the small Addresses parent involvement and X grants they receive. Funds are not available for provides suggestions, and communities to use toward ECCE start-up costs, which recommendations mean initial costs are borne solely by the communities. Addresses child protection X Addresses education in emergencies 9 A regulatory framework is in place within the ECCE policy at both the national and provincial levels. MEHRD is The ECCE policy does not clearly articulate costs. For responsible at the national level. At the provincial level, example, communities are expected to provide financial responsibility lies with provincial education officers, assistance to additional “ECCE-teacher helpers”; yet the churches, private education authorities, and ECCE policy does not give any guidance as to appropriate supervisors. However, no system is in place to implement minimum salaries that communities are expected to regulation (no minimum quality service standards provide. The policy requests parents to provide defined or monitoring tools or ongoing monitoring “logistical and financial support to the ECCE center” yet visits). does not provide guidance as to what are reasonable expectations for parents to provide. Currently the Support for young children under the age of five years expectation of SIG is that parents are responsible to pay with disabilities is limited. The Red Cross receives SI$100 for all costs related to ECCE implementation and teacher per child, but services are not linked with MEHRD; it is salaries, while the government offers a small yearly grant also limited to Honiara and is not accessible for those in based on enrollment (linking ECCE with the National the other provinces. A study of the design and Grant Management system). The policy stipulates that implementation of an Inclusive Education Policy was MEHRD is responsible for provide scholarships and completed in July 2012.15 Children with disabilities can support for ECCE teacher training, as well as “set attend their local ECCE center; however, it is based on guidelines for the budgeting and funding of the ECCE family decision, and no concerted effort is made to 14 15 Grants are SI$100 per child, SI$500 per center for administration costs, At the time of the data collection for this report, no Inclusive Education and an additional SI$2,000 per center for those that qualify for remote Policy has been drafted. status. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 26 encourage families of these young children to enroll Management, and Language and Culture (this leads one them in ECCE. The infrastructure and learning to question whether the training topic on Language and environments are not child friendly for those with special Culture provides enough support on mother tongue use needs. and literacy, or whether teachers are not accessing this module). During interviews, teachers reported that they ECD System Component: have not been trained on the ECCE curriculum; those Human Resources who have received training in the modules plan activities based on classroom observation, but there is no Human resources is an area of great need throughout standard. Other training needs identified include a need ECCE delivery. Issues include both remuneration and for training in the ECCE Curriculum, First Aid, and training, and gaps in capacity include ECCE community- Education in Emergencies/Disaster Risk Reduction. based teachers as well as provincial education officers and MEHRD staff. Regarding classroom implementation, although ECCE teachers in the outer provinces use the mother tongue, Turning to MEHRD staff, the greatest need is ensuring there is pressure in the ECCE centers closer to Honiara to provincial education officers are in place who are well use English as the primary language. Although the ECCE trained in ECCE and are able to engage and strengthen curriculum promotes teacher-parent collaboration and community involvement with ECCE implementation; involvement, ECCE teachers do not receive training on monitor and support minimum quality service standards, how to strengthen parent involvement or encourage including assessing and monitoring of teacher service teacher-parent collaboration. delivery; and provide ECCE teacher training. At least one province has had a vacancy in an education officer Staff support for working with young children with position for well over a year, which has affected the disabilities is limited. Although teachers with the Red provincial education offices’ ability to assess teachers Cross receive some training on children with special trained in FBT for their certificates and officially register needs (two Red Cross teachers received six-month their community-based ECCE centers. Other provincial training on child development, identification of delays, education officers are not professionally competent to and how to develop an individual plan), no ECCE staff support ECCE in their province and need capacity have been trained on identification of child development building before ECCE implementation can be expected to delays. Although the Red Cross reported during improve. Considering the desire of MEHRD to continue interviews that they create individualized education the momentum of expanding quality ECCE coverage, plans for the children with disabilities they work with, no ensuring access to dedicated education officers trained documentation was provided for verification. in ECCE at the provincial levels is significant. Anecdotally, ECCE teachers reported that the main ECCE teachers face significant challenges that impact challenges they face are supporting young children’s their ability to do their work. Although the ECCE policy development in reading, writing, and their attention states that the vernacular should be used in the ECCE span, as well as that “some don’t want to play with classroom, teachers are not provided training or support others.” When asked to describe quality ECCE, teachers on the use of mother tongue or mother tongue literacy; identified the need for all teaching and learning materials no classroom resources (for example, books or charts) provided to the ECCE centers and set basic program are available in the mother tongue. The majority of settings, with more school resources. training that is available to ECCE teachers is through preservice training; in-service training is scheduled during 2013 to upgrade ECCE certificate holders, but at the time of this report it is unknown whether in-service has been or will be held because of funding concerns and limited SINU staff involved in ECCE teacher training. Preservice opportunities include FBT, Certificate, and Diploma levels; plans are to add an Advanced Diploma level, but it is unknown when this would be implemented. Training topics include Child Development, Working with Children, Learning Areas, SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 27 ECD System Component: Table 18: Quality Indicators—Curriculum Curriculum, Child Assessment, Does the Curriculum Framework: Provide practical and Environment suggestions and As previously discussed, MEHRD has an ECCE Curriculum resources? Framework and is working on an ECCE Teacher’s Yes No Yes No Handbook to make the curriculum more accessible to Include early learning X X ECCE teachers for easier implementation. The 10-person standards/outcomes? team involved in developing the ECCE Curriculum Articulate clear Framework included MEHRD ECCE staff, SINU ECCE learning outcomes that X X promote child- Coordinator, Provincial Education Coordinator, ECCE centered learning? teachers, ECCE provincial resource staff, and someone Promote reflection by from the Primary Curriculum Development Unit. X X teachers? Although multiple levels of stakeholders within MEHRD Promote learning were involved, there was no involvement with other X X through play? stakeholders such as Ministries of Health, Women, and Promote integration of Social Affairs, nor were implementing partners involved. learning areas rather X X It is recommended that the draft handbook be piloted than subjects in with implementing partners before finalization. isolation? Promote the use of At the time of this study, the analysis of quality was locally available/made X X limited to the Curriculum Framework because the ECCE resources? Teacher Handbook was not available for review. Quality Promote participation Curriculum Indicators were defined by the Pacific of parents/community X X Regional Council for Early Childhood Care and Education in children’s activities? in Pacific Guidelines for the Development of National Promote preservation Quality Frameworks for ECCE—Programming for Ages of culture and X X Three to Five. As table 18 demonstrates, most of the language? Promote importance of quality indicators were reflected in GSI’s Curriculum X X identity formation? Framework (as well as identified vernacular as the Promote healthy eating primary language of instruction). However, the X X and living habits? Curriculum Framework did not provide practical Promote inclusivity and resources and examples for teachers to understand how accommodate for X X to promote such topics. diversity? The Curriculum Framework, while heavy on theory, In addition, the Curriculum Framework did not provide lacked practical suggestions and resources for teachers minimum 16 standards for resources so teachers would to use with their ECCE students to encourage holistic explicitly know what resources they would be expected development in the following areas: to have and use in the ECCE program. Although the x Emergent literacy, prereading (vernacular, phonics) Curriculum Framework does not provide resources for x Health parenting education or parenting workshop topics, it x Math, prenumeracy does discuss the importance of working with parents to x Nutrition support the development of their children. x Outdoor learning play x Indoor learning play Interviews determined that only two of the nine x Environment/ prescience provinces have provided ECCE teachers with training on x Arts/culture the ECCE Curriculum Framework, and training in those x Creativity provinces did not reach all teachers. The Curriculum Framework does provide a child’s personal assessment report form, although it is not linked to clearly defined 16 It should be noted that these suggested standards would be a definition of what would be minimally expected in the program and linked with a monitoring and observation tool. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 28 child developmental outcomes. ECCE teachers untrained The data collected using this revised SEIMIS survey in the Curriculum Framework reported during interviews should provide MEHRD with a strong baseline to track that they observe children and plan appropriate future ECCE implementation. It should be noted that activities accordingly; however, no system is in place to SEIMIS data are collected only from registed ECCE determine the effectiveness or quality of this reported centers; unregistered centers do not participate in the situation. It is assumed that the draft ECCE Teachers’ data collection, and so data analysis might not be a true Handbook, once finalized, should provide ECCE teachers reflection of ECCE implementation. with practical suggestions and resources to better The National ECCE Policy addresses monitoring and understand and implement the curriculum. assessment within the MEHRD structure mostly at the ECD System Component: national level. However, most monitoring travels parallel Performance, Monitoring, and within the national level of MEHRD and “upstream,” Assessment meaning provincial level monitoring is collected and sent Monitoring and evaluation responsibilities are clearly to the national level—with limited feedback and follow- stated and implemented within MEHRD. The Planning up provided. Document reviews reflect a mechanism to Coordination and Research Unit (PCRU) oversees monitor services, although tools specifically developed educational planning, and within their unit a principal for ECCE are limited, and monitoring implementation is monitoring and reporting officer has responsibilities that weak. includes ECCE. Information collected is shared through Table 19: Monitoring System and Implementation Annual Joint Review workshops, with reports disseminated to education stakeholders. MEHRD has a How much is monitoring and evaluation Yes No national EMIS system (SEIMIS) used for data collection (M&E) a comprehensive part of ECCE and analysis purposes. The system collects information policy? related to ECCE and tracks the following: teachers’ Are purpose and priorities for monitoring X qualifications (whether they are qualified yes/no, but not and assessment clearly defined at national the type of qualification); teacher monitoring (yes/no, levels? but not monitoring outcomes); and whether there are Is there a mechanism to use results to X toilet facilities. Although enrollment to ECCE is tracked inform changes? within SEIMIS, data are not used to determine barriers to Are M&E results shared with all ECCE X access of ECCE services. Child development outcomes stakeholders? are not monitored within a SEIMIS system. Do M&E include self-evaluation, to promote X ownership and engagement in promoting The “Kindergarten & ECCE Center Annual Survey” was high quality? revised in 2012. A review of the revised SEIMIS ECCE Do tools for M&E ECCE services already X survey shows that the data collection has been expanded exist? to cover four sections: Can tools be utilized and/or adapted for X 1. General information about the ECCE center— improved M&E? including cost of school fees/term and existence of a Do tools incorporate inputs and processes, X parent committee as well as outcomes of ECCE provision? 2. Student enrollments—including transitions to lower primary, waiting lists for enrollment, and children Although ECCE centers complete a center registration with disabilities process that includes a visit by a provincial education officer, centers are not monitored on an ongoing basis 3. Detailed information on teachers and for the maintenance and upgrading of quality training/qualifications—including employment implementation, and no system is in place for center conditions (who pays salary, salary scale), teaching registration renewal. For centers to be registered, they qualifications, and in-service training participation must have at least one certified teacher. Teachers get 4. School and classroom facilities and educational certified after they are observed and assessed by resources—including building type, water and power provincial-level education officers. supplies, WASH facilities, learning and play A teacher monitoring system is standardized. Education resources, and external financial assistance. authorities (inspectors) at the provincial level are to SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 29 monitor schools, including ECCE centers. Monitoring is to monitor, MEHRD currently includes four in their be done twice a term and reviews teacher absenteeism, appraisal. work performance, appraisal for promotion, and school Table 21: Monitoring of Teacher Performance infrastructure. Set designated responsibilities are Indicators Monitored: established and include those shown in table 20. Yes/No Table 20: Monitoring Responsibilities Yes No Activity Responsibility Attendance records X Teacher certification Inspectorate Division Planning books X ECCE center registration Education Officers Parental involvement/engagement X Teacher incentives Inspectorate Division Child portfolios X Classroom environment X ECCE teachers in the Solomon Islands are expected to Health and safety X follow a standard Code of Professional Conduct for teachers, as described in the broader Teaching Service Teacher-child interactions X Handbook (which includes issues of registration, Classroom/curriculum X employment, resignation, probation, implementation; teacher appraisal/promotion, national professional standards, performance/methodology salaries, leave, etc.). Job descriptions for ECCE teachers Classroom/building infrastructure X and ECCE supervisors are included. School monitoring 17 MEHRD has a program and performance monitoring is to be done by national- or provincial-level education system in place. However, the lack of funding available authorities, although recommendations for a number of for monitoring activities severely impacts the inspections within a specific time frame are not provided. implementation of monitoring. Delayed implementation ECCE centers are to be inspected at the time of initial of initial ECCE teacher performance assessment has registration, although no system is in place that provides impeded communities in officially registering their ECCE ECCE inspections with an ongoing accreditation system centers. Community-based ECCE centers are excluded by (for example, a system that may provide a “rating” based provincial education officers for monitoring, especially on inspection outcomes, and opportunities for ECCE when PEO staff is limited and government primary and centers to improve and earn higher “ratings” with secondary schools are prioritized for monitoring and corresponding acknowledgements or incentives). quality assurances. Although MEHRD has a National Education in Emergency (EIE) Policy (Draft), ECCE centers are not required to have It is unclear how ECCE teachers and centers are EIE plans, inspections do not include an “education in incorporated into the overall monitoring scheme, as emergency” component, and communities are not tools are not adapted to meet the unique needs of ECCE. formally responsible for creating and implementing EIE ECCE supervisors are anticipated to provide informal or disaster risk reduction plans with their ECCE centers. classroom observations all year, but no guidance is provided as to how many minimum observations are Teacher performance monitoring is to include self- expected. The “Early Childhood Teacher’s Personal appraisals (at least biannually) and Principal/Head Assessment Report Form” (MEHRD), used during Teacher external appraisals biannually (see table 21). inspector observation for an ECCE teacher’s initial These appraisals are to include feedback on observations confirmation of certification, is not utilized as an ongoing and linked to a system of “accelerated increment” on the monitoring tool for continued quality assurance. salary scale based on outstanding performance and conduct results from external appraisals. It is unclear ECD System Component: whether and how ECCE teachers fit into this overall monitoring system. It was reported that self-appraisal Community Partnerships tools are not available/accessible for ECCE teachers, nor Partnerships with communities are essential for ECCE. have they been trained. Of the potential indicators ECCE community-based programs implemented by identified by the Pacific Region as being important to World Vision International have Memorandums of Understanding between the communities and the 17 Referred to in the Teaching Service Handbook as inspections for overall schools and appraisals for monitoring teacher performance. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 30 program; however, although the ECCE policy describes Head teachers Allocation of school site, community roles and responsibilities, no evidence was construction of school building, found of formal MOUs between MEHRD and school committee in place. communities stipulating these responsibilities with Village chiefs/ Consulting landowning tribes for accountability. The new SIEMIS data collection survey leaders land and encourage communities (2012) will be asking whether a parent committee exists, to participate in their children’s which could then facilitate MOU development. Currently future (education). community-based ECCE centers operate on land donated General Materials and classroom are by communities; however, without formal agreement community ready for schooling. between communities and ECCE centers, programs are members at risk of having the property taken away at any time. The ECCE policy addresses the importance of the use of Although interviews were a small sample and cannot be vernacular in ECCE centers. During interviews, parents extrapolated, it can be assumed that greater awareness and community members reported that the languages on “school readiness” could help people increase their used are Pijin as well as local dialects Rihua’a and One’e understanding of the importance of ECCE and how to in the home provinces. When asked why they think support the transitions between ECCE and primary parents do not send their children to ECCE, parents and school by clarifying any assumptions of what children community members shared the perception that parents should learn while in ECCE. are too busy working in gardens or fishing to earn money Community involvement with their ECCE center varied. and have no time to take their children to ECCE (these Parents defined their support financially in terms of fees parents were called “lazy”); “ignorance” or a lack of they pay (although interviewees did admit parental understanding to the importance of ECCE; the payment of fees is unreliable and expensive). Village social/economic status of the family (implying a lack of chiefs/elders provide in-kind support through land support—financial and/or societal—for the most allocation. Community members provide bush material disadvantaged families in the communities); and for classroom buildings. The creation of and provision of distance between home and the ECCE center. learning resources made from local materials were not When asked what “school readiness” means, the mentioned by communities, although this is a valuable majority of interviewees discussed issues of contribution for which communities should be engaged infrastructure and environment; only ECCE teachers in and recognized. Parents and communities are not made any mention of classroom methodology and engaged in the ECCE classroom as facilitators of their implementation. Table 22 provides an overview of how child’s play. In addition, because ECCE teachers are not trained on parent involvement or parenting education, “school readiness” was interpreted. opportunity or implementation to share parenting Table 22: How “School Readiness” Was Defined in resources with families is limited (and no outreach for Community Dialogues families of young children not accessing ECCE center Parents Necessary preparation that must services). be prepared for the ECCE center to begin. Site for school building. Options for Improved System Component Construction of classroom. Implementation in the Solomon Islands Encouraging children to attend classes daily. Policy, Legislation, and Governance ECCE teachers Prepare child to move to primary and having a good ECCE program. ¾ As previously noted, SABER-ECD analysis found the Planning good program and policy and legislative environment to be “latent.” The activities to meet the children’ existence of a National Children’s Policy has not learning needs. sustained intersectoral coordination, which has Primary 1 Classroom has been built and stagnated. A “reboot” of a multisectoral national ECCE teachers learning areas set for children to Framework with multiyear strategic plan, learn. A committee looks after the complementary to the National Children’s Policy and ECCE school affairs. fully costed, could address all five system components and provide a link across all relevant ECCE activities and SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 31 support mechanisms. Clear linkages can be made implementation, so they understand what and how they between ECCE and Inclusive Education so that the most are observing ECCE teachers and centers for. Considering disadvantaged children with disabilities can be identified the greater numbers of ECCE centers in a province at the earliest ages and provided intervention and compared with primary and secondary schools, it is support for their development. ECCE has a natural recommended that at least one provincial education association with social welfare; increased parental and officer be dedicated to ECCE per office, with other community understanding of child development can lead provincial education officers trained in ECCE as well to to improved parenting practices and stronger child provide “back-up” support. Long-term vacancy situations protection activities. Stronger legislative and financial (such as study leave) should be addressed as soon as support for the registration and monitoring of ECCE possible, such as filling the position with “Acting centers will help ensure ECCE activities are maintaining Education Officer” positions or redistribution of quality implementation. Increased investment in ECCE by responsibilities across remaining education officers in SIG could address those issues related to the province. Support with facilitating the center implementation gaps. registration process, observing and certifying ECCE teachers, and monitoring oversight should be provided To strengthen the monitoring system for ECCE, a to all ECCE centers, regardless of whether they are National ECCE Framework should include the “attached” to primary schools or community based. development of Minimum Quality Service Standards (MQSS), which can address areas such as ECCE One aspect related to human resources is feeling that the infrastructure (safety and security of building, WASH work one is doing is valued and important, with facilities, outdoor playgrounds), classroom resources, compensation for the work being done (whether by and teacher performance (curriculum implementation money, in-kind support, community recognition, or other and child-friendly methodology, monitoring of child form of incentive). ECCE teachers deserve to be paid and outcomes). These MQSS could then be linked to the recognized for their work, although it is unrealistic to school grants scheme, so grants are targeted to those expect MEHRD to absorb all ECCE teachers within their ECCE centers most in need of financial support to bring salary structure. At the same time, however, it creates their programs up to the minimum level of standards as further discrepancy if MEHRD financially supports only defined by MEHRD; this would ensure a system of equity ECCE centers that happen to be attached to primary in the grants so that funds go to communities that need schools (and may have access to the primary school’s them most. school-based management and/or parent group system) rather than community-based “stand-alone” ECCE Human Resources centers, where a parent group/school–based ¾ ECCE staffs need more capacity development. management system may be less active or less available MEHRD seems to have adequate staff focusing on ECCE to financially support the teachers. ECCE teacher salary within the central level with the exception of SINU, which support could be determined by MEHRD for those could use more staff available to provide the necessary communities that are most disadvantaged and least ECCE teacher training. FBT should not only be maintained likely able to pay the salaries. Another possible option is but also expanded to more provinces to increase access to institute a policy of a sliding fee scale for school fees, to this initial staff development opportunity. FBT should so families pay what they can afford and MEHRD pays the be woven into the official teacher training certification difference. This could provide equity to the salary scale system, with the FBT certificate in the provisional scheme while ensuring ECCE teachers in the most category gradually included as a minimum qualification disadvantaged communities are paid and can increase requirement to ensure that over time every ECCE teacher the shared responsibility between MEHRD and has a preliminary level of training. communities. For ECCE at the central systems level to have effective Curriculum, Child Assessment, and implementation at the decentralized level, provincial Environment education officers need strengthened capacity building ¾ The finalization of the ECCE Teacher’s Handbook in ECCE, including training in ECCE management to should be a welcome addition to teachers so they can support communities on how to improve their ECCE better implement MEHRD’s ECCE Curriculum. However, centers, training in child development, ECCE it is imperative that the Handbook is linked with methodology, and curriculum, and quality ECCE SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 32 ¾ extensive in-service training that is rolled out (with potential loss of center registration if MQSS are not systematically and reaches every ECCE teacher as soon upheld). A comprehensive monitoring system with as possible to support their ability to deliver improved complementary accreditation system would need to be quality implementation. A simple child assessment costed and could be piloted in the provinces that already system 18 that monitors children’s ongoing holistic have a strong ECCE center presence. development19 should be developed, which could then be used multisectorally for a variety of purposes, such as Community Partnerships parenting support and child protection activities, simple ¾ MEHRD has the potential for strong allies in ECCE monitoring during well-child visits in clinics, and ongoing implementation and quality assurance through classroom observations by ECCE teachers. communities. Developing a formal MOU between MEHRD and communities would clearly define what The development of MQSS for ECCE will help MEHRD feel government versus communities are responsible for and confident that all ECCE centers regardless of could be a way to strengthen accountability by each side. arrangement (public-private, primary-attached, or community-based) are implementing ECCE at an equal or Communities would need strong initial training and better standard. MQSS should be comprehensive and engagement to understand their roles and include a structure for child outcomes monitoring (that responsibilities. MOUs could link with existing Parent monitoring is being done; the actual child outcomes Teachers Associations or School/Community-Based monitoring tools would be a separate tool), curriculum Management systems, which can be adapted for local implementation, classroom infrastructure, and community-run ECCE centers. A strong community indoor/outdoor learning and play environments partnership and MOU could increase the shared (including a list of minimum resources, learning responsibility with communities for implementing materials, and furniture, which should be found in every monitoring (if properly trained), limiting overall costs ECCE center), as defined by MEHRD. supported by MEHRD. This could also empower communities to take an increased role in supporting their Performance Monitoring and Assessment ECCE centers to achieve and maintain MQSS. ¾ The development and strong implementation of a MEHRD and other partners through NACC should also comprehensive monitoring system is critical for the explore more informal parenting education support maintenance of quality ECCE implementation. The opportunities for pregnant women and families of young development of an MQSS system (linked with children aged five years and under. This could help target infrastructure standards for initial center registration those families whom do not or cannot access ECCE and a professional assessment report form for initial centers. Informal parenting support could include topics teacher certification) that is monitored on an ongoing such as child development, healthy eating and nutrition, basis will help ensure that ECCE centers have not only well-child visits and the importance of growth achieved MQSS but also maintain these standards over monitoring and immunizations, positive parenting tips, time. MQSS can be adapted for equity so that standards and how parents can support the development of their between urban/rural, primary-attached/community- young child. Strong community partnerships could based centers are relevant and achievable to the facilitate the delivery and reinforcement of these communities and local context; for example, opportunities. infrastructure and WASH facility standards could provide multiple options for communities to choose from. MQSS linked to a school grants scheme could help MEHRD target grants to communities and ECCE centers most in need of support. In addition, an accreditation system in which centers are remonitored every few years to check maintenance of MQSS with levels of incentives based on MQSS achievement could encourage communities to continually strive to improve their center 18 19 It should be noted that children in ECCE should not be tested. This would not be limited to emerging literacy and numeracy but would include all areas of development including socialemotional, physical, language, and learning to know. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 33 Conclusion steps for SIG and other stakeholders. A costed plan will also help ensure that adequate human talent and The SABER-ECD initiative is designed to enable ECD policy financial resources are available to meet the goals of the makers and development partners to identify Solomon Island ECCE policy. In prioritizing policy areas, opportunities for further development of effective ECD SIG should consider collaborating with nonstate systems. The additional analysis of the Pacific-identified stakeholders, such as Honiara Preschool Association and system components for quality ECCE ensures that National Advisory Committee on Children, and private analysis and recommendations are made in line with service providers. Given that preschools are community- Pacific regional priorities, in alignment with Pacific Island managed, implementation of an improved ECD strategy Forum’s Pacific Education Development Framework. will require coordination at the level of service delivery. This country report presents a framework to benchmark Table 23 summarizes the key policy options identified to Solomon Island’s ECD system; each of the nine policy inform policy dialogue to improve the provision of levers and five system components are examined in essential ECD services in the Solomon Islands. The detail, and policy options to strengthen ECD are offered. country’s education sector has made strides in recent This report is intended to serve as a first step for decision years to improve ECD services. It is critical that all making within SIG to improve the ECD system. Now that relevant sectors mobilize their resources to strengthen some areas in need of policy attention have been the ECD system and ensure that adequate coverage in identified, the government can move forward in multiple domains is provided to all children. This will prioritizing policy options to promote healthy and robust require further strengthening of the ECD system at both development for all children during their early years. It the national level and community level. will be important to ensure that the definition of short- term policy goals align with long-term policy options. A multisectoral costed National Quality ECCE Framework 20 will be essential for identifying and prioritizing actionable Table 23: Summary of Policy and Implementation Options to Improve ECD in the Solomon Islands Policy dimension Policy options x Develop concrete enforceable regulations through a multisectoral framework x Strengthen links between education, health, and protection sectors Establishing an x Increase financial and human resources investment in ECCE Enabling x Strengthen provincial level education officers’ capacity to understand and support ECCE Environment implementation x Increase access to ECCE teacher training x Improve coordination and collaboration to achieve ECCE results in all sectors Implementing x Improve targeted activities for the most disadvantaged families and children Widely x Take an equity approach to supporting increased school grants and teacher salaries for communities most at need x Develop a comprehensive Minimum Quality Service Standards for ECCE delivery x Develop a multisectoral tool that defines child developmental stages for children that can be used to monitor child development outcomes Monitoring and x Strengthen teacher training opportunities so access to training is increased Ensuring Quality x Improve monitoring and compliance mechanisms x Strengthen a system of Parent-Teacher Associations or School/Community-Based Management Systems for all ECCE centers for enhanced community ownership; develop MOUs between community partnerships and MEHRD 20 Developed in line with the Pacific Regional Council for Early Childhood Care and Education’s Pacific Guidelines for the Development of National Quality Frameworks for ECCE—Programming for Ages Three to Five. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 34 Acknowledgments collection instruments, the UNICEF National Situational This Country Report was prepared as a pilot project Analysis-ECD data collection instrument, and data from between UNICEF and World Bank Group by the ECD external sources. The report was prepared in Specialist, UNICEF Pacific in coordination with the SABER- consultation with the World Bank Group Human ECD team at World Bank Group headquarters in Development EAP team. For technical questions or Washington, DC, and the World Bank Group Education comments about this report, please contact the SABER- Team in Sydney. The report presents country data ECD team (helpdeskecd@worldbank.org) or UNICEF collected using the SABER-ECD policy and program data Pacific (suva@unicef.org). SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 35 Annex 1 Foreword The following Early Childhood Education Situation Analysis (ECE SITAN) report for Solomon Islands is a step forward for our country in providing a research-based exploration of the current ECE situation in determining how best to move forward as we plan to improve ECE services in our country for the benefit of our ymmgest citizens. As previously stated in MEHRD's ECE Policy Statement (2008), "It is widely known and recognized that good quality Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) - programmes have the potential to make a positive difference to children's development and learning.... It is ... general knowledge that good quality ECE encourages children to enter into the education system early and also helps with successfully completing primary school ... It encourages both children and parents to see the importance of education and the role of ECE in its preparation for the basic education period. Quality ECE offers opportunities that help all young children acquire the necessary skills, knowledge, values and attitudes for meaningful participation in the Solomon Islands' society." (pg. 2). This ECE SITAN celebrates what we have accomplished since 2008, and identifies what areas we can still improve on to insure our ECE programs are of quality. This SITAN looked at the systems for early childhood holistically for young children five years of age and younger, in health, nutrition, education and development, and child protection. During the period of 2013-2014, MEHRD and other govemment institutions, with support from UNICEF Pacific, collected the data and contributed to the analysis. The partnership with World Bank led to using their Systems Approach for Better Education Results- ECD (SABER-ECD) tool, which looked at the policy environment, and developed a supplemental tool to conduct a national assessment for quality implementation on issues of policy, human resources, curriculum/child outcomes/environment, monitoring, and parent/community partnerships. In combination, these two tools have provided us with a comprehensive picture of what is currently happening for young children in our country, and potential recommendations on how to strengthen our early childhood systems. The support provided by UNICEF Pacific will now allow MEHRD to move towards evidence-based decision making. We would also thank World Bank for their partnership with UNICEF to use their SABER tool for our country ECE SITAN. We look forward to using these results as we prepare future ECE strategic planning and implementation to strengthen the ECE sub-sector within MEHRD. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 36 “Strategies for Reducing Inequalities and Improving Acronyms Developmental Outcomes for Young Children in Low- CRC Convention of the Rights of the Child Income and Middle-Income Countries.” The Lancet 378 ECCE Early Childhood Care and Education (9799): 1339–53. ECD Early Childhood Development ECE Early Childhood Education Hanushek, E. A., and D. D. Kimko. 2000. “Schooling, Labor-Force EIE Education in Emergency Quality, and the Growth of Nations.” American Economic EPI Expanded Program of Immunization Review 90 (5): 1184–1208. FBT Field-Based Training Hanushek, E. 2003. “The Failure of Input-Based Schooling ILO International Labor Organization Policies.” Economic Journal 113: 64–98. MEHRD Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development Naudeau, S, N. Kataoka, A. Valerio, M. J. Neuman, and L. K. MHMS Ministry of Health and Medical Services Elder. 2011. “Investing in Young Children: An Early MICS Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Childhood Development Guide for Policy Dialogue and MOU Memorandum of Understanding Project Preparation.” World Bank Group, Washington, DC. MQSS Minimum Quality Service Standards Neuman, M. J. 2007. “Good Governance of Early Childhood Care MWYCA Ministry of Women, Youth, and Children Affairs and Education: Lessons from the 2007 Education for All NACC National Advisory Committee on Children Global Monitoring Report.” UNESCO Policy Briefs on Early NSA-ECD National Situational Assessment—Early Childhood. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Childhood Development Cultural Organization, New York. PCRU Planning Coordination and Research Unit Tayler, C., and J. Bennett. 2006. Starting Strong II: Early SABER- Systems Approach for Better Education Childhood Education and Care. Paris: Education Directorate ECD Results– Early Childhood Development of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and SIEMIS Solomon Islands Education Management Development. Information System SIG Solomon Islands Government UNESCO-OREALC. 2004. “Intersectoral Co-ordination in Early SINU Solomon Islands National University Childhood Policies and Programmes: A Synthesis of UNICEF United Nations Child Fund Experiences in Latin America.” Regional Bureau of Education for Latin America and the Caribbean, United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. References Britto, P., H. Yoshikawa, and K. Boller. 2011. “Quality of Early Valerio, A., and M. Garcia. 2013. “Effective Financing.” In Childhood Development Programs: Rationale for Handbook of Early Childhood Development Research and Investment, Conceptual Framework and Implications for Its Impact on Global Policy, ed. P. Britto, P. Engle, and S. Equity.” Social Policy Report 25 (2): 1–31. Super, 467–83. New York: Oxford University Press. Bryce, J., S. el Arifeen, G. Pariyo, C. F. Lanata, D. Gwatkin, J.-P. Vargas-Baron, E. 2005. Planning Policies for Early Childhood Habicht, and the Multi-Country Evaluation of Imci Study Development: Guidelines for Action. Paris: UNESCO. Group. 2003. “Reducing Child Mortality: Can Public Health Victoria, B. H., L. Adair, C. Fall, P. C. Hallal, R. Martorell, L. Deliver?” The Lancet 362: 159–64. Richter, and H. S. Sachdev. 2008. “Maternal and Child Engle, P. L., L. C. H. Fernald, H. Alderman, J. Behrman, C. O’Gara, Undernutrition: Consequences for Adult Health and Human A. Yousafzai, M. Cabral de Mello, M. Hidrobo, N. Ulkuer, Capital.” The Lancet 371 (9609): 340–57. and the Global Child Development Steer Group. 2011. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis Early Childhood Development 37 www.worldbank.org/education/saber The Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) initiative produces comparative data and knowledge on education policies and institutions, with the aim of helping countries systematically strengthen their education systems. SABER evaluates the quality of education policies against evidence-based global standards, using new diagnostic tools and detailed policy data. The SABER country reports give all parties with a stake in educational results —from administrators, teachers, and parents to policy makers and business people—an accessible, objective snapshot showing how well the policies of their country’s education system are oriented toward ensuring that all children and youth learn. The National Situation Analysis–Early Childhood Development (NSA-ECD), developed by UNICEF Pacific, is a tool complementary to the SABER, which provides the situational analysis of ECD implementation. This report focuses specifically on policies in the area of Early Childhood Development. This work is a pilot product between UNICEF Pacific with support of the staff of World Bank Group. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank Group, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. World Bank Group does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of World Bank Group concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 35 NSA-ECD: National Situation Analysis – Early Childhood Development