SECTION ONE: INTRODUCTION SECTION ONE: INTRODUCTION ONE: INTRODUCTION ONE: INTRODUCTION

Background

Quality ECCE programmes are critical in providing a foundation for school readiness and success in life. To ensure quality service there is not only a need for policies to provide direction but also for resources in terms of finance, materials and human resources. In Uganda establishment of the Education Policy Review Commission (EPRC) in 1987 and its subsequent reports of 1989 were the first milestones for recognising the importance of ECCE for increasing access to education, followed by the Government White Paper in 1992. The two documents strongly recommended, among other things, the attainment of Universal Primary Education (UPE) in Uganda. Pre-primary education is, therefore, given attention since it forms the platform for the sustainability of UPE and lifelong learning.

The aims and objectives of Pre-Primary Education in Uganda, which are laid out in the Government White Paper are to: a) Develop the child’s capabilities, healthy physical growth, good social habits, moral values, imagination, self-reliance, thinking power, appreciation of cultural backgrounds, customs, language and communication skills in the mother tongue, and, b) Emphasise the development of a feeling of love and care for other people and Uganda as a whole.

After investing massively in UPE, the government found it fitting that policy stretches to cover ECE which forms the basis for the sustainability of UPE and lifelong learning. The current ECD policy, which was approved and published in 2007 and which has been in existence for ten years, is largely being implemented by the private sector. This policy sought to provide guidance on the provision of holistic ECD services for optimal child development and for the assurance of inclusion and equity. It recognises the public sector’s role in ensuring the fulfilment of children’s rights and the Government’s obligation to provide some measures of control and responsibility for the quality. In 2016, the newly published NIECD Policy (2016) created the framework for relevant sectors to review their services in relation to ECD and to ensure alignment to the aims and objectives of the NIECDP.

It should be noted that the MoES has made significant progress under the 2007 Policy, including the development of: i. The Learning framework for ECD 3-6 years in 17 languages and caregivers guide; ii. The Thematic Curriculum for P1 – P3 with teachers’ resource books in 16 languages; iii. The ECD Caregivers’ Training Framework (2012) and training modules on community child care programmes aimed at ECD instructors; iv. Guidelines for establishment of ECD centres, along with a Community Mobilisation manual and Centre Management Committee training manual; v. Early Learning and Development Standards for 36 months and 72 months; vi. Policy guidelines on capacity building of Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) personnel; vii. Guidelines for support supervision of ECCE.

However, in comparison with other East African countries, Uganda is still lagging behind in its provision of ECCE services (refer to Annex C for additional information on the East African context). As of 2014, both access and quality were still very low, with enrolment standing at 9.5% implying a 90.5% gap in eligible children accessing ECCE service (EMIS 2014). Access to pre-primary education in the rest of the East African States was better (Kenya 53.5%; Tanzania 35.5% and Rwanda 29%) (EFA Country Review Reports 2015). In Kenya, pre-primary education is free and compulsory; in Tanzania each primary school has a pre-primary classroom; and in Rwanda, the Government is responsible for teacher training as well as curriculum development (EFA Country Review Reports 2015). While each country has its own unique context, for Uganda, a weak policy framework, limited access and low quality constitute the main concerns affecting delivery of pre-primary education. In addition to these concerns, the MoES outlines a series of other factors that are stated in the ToR, as follows:

1. Weak policy – the 2007 ECD Policy for the education sector does not guarantee compulsory preprimary education. To ensure full access issues of culture and economic status need to be addressed through systematic communication and advocacy efforts to market ECCE.

2. Inadequate child’s holistic development as well as coherent services from birth to primary education - integration of care, health, education and nutrition is still lacking. The curriculum and contents is delivered by differently trained personnel. The focus in most cases is on academics.

3. Data on ECCE providers and beneficiary groups is limited. Available data shows many vulnerable children, especially in disadvantaged communities, do not access any form of ECCE, and where they do, it is very poor quality.

4. Inequalities in access to ECCE - Many vulnerable children face barriers that limit access to ECCE including affordability, lack of access points, hours of operation, language of service, and lack of information about services and support for the parents. Leaving service provision to private proprietors tends to compound rather than reduce inequalities as they try to maximise profits.

5. Present programmes are too inflexible. They need to be informed by principles of social inclusion and also include practical and concrete ways to ensure that all children have access to the support, care and education that equips them for life and learning. There is need for a national approach to implementing high quality programmes with the flexibility to encourage local engagement and respond to local circumstances.

6. Collaboration and networking needs to be improved as ECD is a multi-sectoral process that addresses the holistic development of children (health, education, nutrition, hygiene and sanitation, safety and security, etc). This calls for clarity of roles, shared responsibility, and empowering caregivers at the household and facility levels as outlined in the NIECDP.

7. Capacity Building is required with extensive professional, educational and training support for individuals within early childhood services and for the ECCE sub sector as a whole. There is need to thoroughly examine and learn from existing ECCE models, frameworks, and best practices. Capacity and technical guidance is necessary to enhance knowledge of such matters as legal requirements for creation of ECCE centres, curriculum and pedagogy.

8. Funding of ECD as the investment in ECCE remains low. Linked with this is the low quality particularly in areas where children are from disadvantaged communities socially, economically, remote and rural sections. Increasing and involving government in ECCE funding is needed as the current allocation, at less than 0.1% of the sub sector (Basic Education Department) total, is far from adequate.

These concerns are backed by statistics which indicate that based on the 2014 household population census, 3,827,118 children aged 0-8 years are attending school and pre-school while 3,214,761 are not attending any school or pre-school. Most of these children are between the ages of 3 and 5, as indicated in the table below, which also indicates a lack of data for children below the age of 3 who might be attending some form of ECCE centre.

Distribution of children aged 0-8 years attending school/pre-school

Source: UBOS, 2014 Uganda Household Population Census

The 2016 Statistical Abstract published by UBOS indicates that only a total of 477,123 children were enrolled in pre-schooling in 2015.

Source: UBOS, 2016 A Statistical Abstract

The available data sources regarding the number of children participating in ECCE services are often conflicting and partial and do not provide a full picture of who is gaining access and who is excluded There is also very limited data on the number of children aged 0-3 that are accessing ECD services as data are often not disaggregated by the different age groups within the 0-8 age continuum.

The Education Act 2008 recognises pre-primary education as the first level of education in Uganda. The ECD education sector policy recognises four programmes, namely day care centres, home-based centres, community centres, and nursery schools. However, the majority of these centres (about 80%) are in the hands of the private sector, and out of the financial reach of many Ugandans. There are relatively few children benefiting from institutionalised ECD centres, and those not in centres may remain at homes with their parents, yet the services given to the parents to be able to address the ECCE needs of their children are also minimal. The current ECD policy fails to identify sources of funding for ECD-related activities at scale. In addition, effective implementation of the ECD Policy continues to face challenges due to lack of adequate data on the provision and use of ECD services, the limited competence of many ECD personnel, inadequate funding, poor quality of infrastructure, inadequate ECD structures, lack of clarity on language barriers, lack of appropriate enforcement mechanisms, and minimal availability of support supervision.

In March 2016, the government of Uganda approved and published a NIECD Policy and a costed action plan. This policy gives overarching guidance to all Ministries and governs the delivery of ECD services in Uganda through a life cycle approach. It indicates that ECD services include prenatal and postnatal care, early infant stimulation and education, parent education, health and nutrition education and care, sanitation, and protection against abuse, exploitation and violence. It cautions on the existing inequities in access to ECD services, particularly for categories of children in difficult circumstances such as street children, orphans, those affected by HIV/AIDS, and children in conflict situations. This policy gives priority to inclusion of the most vulnerable children who especially stand to benefit from quality ECD services otherwise they will continue to lag behind in their development.

To ensure comprehensive and holistic development of children from conception to 8 years, the policy highlights seven policy actions one of which is Early Childhood Care and Education. Through this policy the Government of Uganda commits to ensure that children’s early learning at all the different stages of development is implemented and supported. It calls for increasing access to equitable, quality, integrated, inclusive and developmentally appropriate early learning and stimulation opportunities and programmes for all children below eight years in Uganda.

The NIECD Policy also prescribes that each of the policy actions should take a multi-sectoral approach with contributions and participation of all relevant stakeholders, MoES included. Generally, these stakeholders are expected to: a) Mainstream ECD issues in their Policies, Plans and Budgets. b) Review and monitor implementation of appropriate policies and laws in line with the framework. c) Mobilise and ensure availability of funds to implement their sector-based provisions in the framework. d) Strengthen partnerships, coordination and monitoring for Effective IECD Services e) Prepare and share periodical plans and reports as per set guidance. f) Designate an officer responsible for ECD to support the implementation of the NIECD policy framework.

Specifically, the policy mandates MoES to provide guidelines for establishment and management of nursery schools and other ECD Centres through: a) Streamlining the licensing, classification and registration of ECD Centres. b) Streamlining and harmonising the training programmes for caregivers and ensuring certification and accreditation of awards offered. c) Setting basic requirements and minimum standards for establishing ECD Centres and ECD teacher education institutions. d) Setting clear policy guidelines for managing the transition from pre-primary to primary education.

In addition, MoES provides policy guidelines on capacity building of Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) personnel and the development of guidelines for support supervision, instructional materials and curriculum for ECCE. Based on this background the existing education sector ECD policy will be reviewed to address challenges that hinder quality and equitable access to ECCE, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.

The purpose of this policy review is to provide guidance for optimal holistic development of healthy and productive children between 0-8 years in Uganda, as an essential resource for national development, as well as enhance partnerships that promote holistic approaches to ECD and effective learning/teaching processes appropriate to that age group. Based on this background, the existing education sector ECD policy will be reviewed to address challenges that hinder quality and equitable access to ECCE, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.

The Rationale for Investing in Early Childhood Education

ECD is internationally defined as the provision of health and nutrition, cognitive stimulation, care, safety and protection, and education from conception to eight years of age. Holistic ECD services are increasingly being recognised as a key strategy for the realisation of children’s rights and poverty reduction (refer to Annex C for a more detailed overview of national and international literature and models of delivery). The rationale for investment and engagement in ECD by governments, service providers and parents is underpinned by three pillars:

I. a rights-based approach that asserts every child has a right to adequate care and education;

II. a scientific approach that highlights evidence for the plasticity of the brain in the early years, the importance of the neural connections made, and the long-lasting consequences of damage or neglect in this period; and

III. an economic approach that robustly proves the cost-effectiveness of investment in early years of a child’s life. Where this investment is not made early on in the life of disabled and children from poorer and more marginalised communities (and according to the Lancet, these are the least likely children to access ECD1) the initial disadvantages such children face are compounded and increase the long-term economic challenges they meet in later life with consequences for their ability to contribute positively to society and the economy.2 Therefore, the earlier in a child’s life that an ECD- related intervention is initiated, the greater the return. Investment in high quality ECD provision has been linked to reduced inequality, higher wages, and ultimately, increased economic growth (see diagram of the ‘Heckman Curve’ below).3

1 The Lancet’s Early Childhood Development Series, (2016) The Lancet, Vol. 389, No. 10064

2 World Bank (2015). Early Childhood Development: Context. [Available from: http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/earlychildhooddevelopment/overview#1]

3 Heckman, J. (2012). Invest in early childhood development: Reduce deficits, strengthen the economy. [Available from: http://heckmanequation.org/content/resource/invest-early-childhood-development-reduce-deficits-strengthen- economy]

These strategies are reflected through new global commitments, articulated through the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (2015), many of which are strongly linked to this life stage. Specifically, SDG 4.2 aims to ensure that:

‘By 2030 all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.’

The risk of children not attaining their developmental potential and opportunity during this sensitive period is also the focus of a recent Lancet series on Early Childhood Development.4

Recent research reaffirms the significance of early development for future health, behaviour and learning. The brain develops most rapidly in the first few years of a child’s life.5 Accumulated adversity from the prenatal period and throughout early life can disrupt brain development, attachment, and early learning: with delays widening over time. Poor health and nutrition, inadequate care and stimulation, and a stressful environment can lead to a trajectory of poor health and schooling outcomes and so perpetuate the poverty cycle.6 According to Uganda’s 2015 National Planning Authority report, 80% of the population cannot afford the fees charged for pre-primary education which limits access.7 Devoting more resources, especially to the most disadvantaged children, should be the priority in a broader national early childhood care and education policy.

4 Black, M., Walker, S.P, Fernald, L. Andersen, DiGirolamo, C. Lu, C. et al (2016) Advancing Early Childhood Development: from Science to Scale 1 Early childhood development coming of age: science through the life course. The Lancet October 4, 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31389-7

5 Shonkoff JP, & Richter L. The powerful reach of early childhood development: a science-based foundation for sound investment. In: Britto PR, Engle PL, Super CS, eds. Handbook of early childhood development research and its impact on global policy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013: 1–23.

6 De Haan M, & Gunnar MR, eds. (2009). Handbook of developmental social neuroscience. New York: Guilford Press 7 National Planning Authority, (2015). Program based budgeting for ECD in Uganda.

ECCE and Uganda: A Situation Analysis

The Ugandan Government has embraced this rationale for investment in early childhood services for well over two decades. The Uganda Education Sector ECD Policy (2007) recognises pre-primary as the first level of education in Uganda under the four programmes; day care centres, home-based centres, community based centres and nursery schools. The Education Act (2008), while setting ECCE as the first level in the education system, reinforced the ECD Policy’s determination that the management of preprimary education should be a responsibility of the private sector, which in turn limits access to preprimary services especially to the most vulnerable families.8

The distribution of ECCE centres in Uganda reflects the impact of the decision to have ECCE provision driven by private sector investment. The distribution of services reflects income levels and shows regional variations. Ejuu argues that the gaps in provision between urban and rural and between richer and poorer districts is growing.9 Areas whose populations earn a high income tend to attract ECD proprietors with an assumption that the parents and guardians will afford the fees. This pattern of ECD centres appears to have eliminated the majority of rural children from benefiting from access to preschool. A regional analysis of distribution of ECD centres shows that the central region had the greatest concentration of ECD centres totalling 2,858 (39% of the nationally identified ECCE facilities), followed by the eastern region with a total of 1,640 centres (22%). The western region followed with 1,098 centres (15%), while one of the poorest region, the northern region, ranks fourth with a total of 831 centres (11%). The south western region had a total of 751 centres (10%) while the north eastern region with the smallest geographical area and high levels of poverty had the least number of centres totalling only 190 (3%). The central region appears to have the highest share of ECD centres due to the fact that the region has the highest number of urban centres and income generating activities.10

A study11 in 2000 found a need to support ECD proprietors in infrastructure development as a prerequisite to boosting the quality of ECD structures in Uganda. The quality of learning in most of the pre-schools assessed indicated many shortfalls. This was compounded by poor learning environments, poor hygiene, poor infrastructure, unqualified teachers and low quality playing kits as a result of inadequate resources. The majority of the centres did not meet the minimum quality standards. Ejuu argues that ECD in Uganda requires both public and private investment and also stronger partnerships.12

The majority of proprietors of ECCE centres in Uganda lack adequate financial support to put up permanent and habitable structures, especially in rural areas. Parents struggle to put up structures which are of adequate quality and do not leak during the rainy seasons. In addition, there is an acute shortage of qualified teachers and caregivers in most of the ECD centres. The staffing gap has been bridged by

8 Ministry of Education and Sports, (2008). Uganda Education Act. GoU: Kampala.

9 Ejuu, G. (2012a). The Status of Implementation of the Education Sector Early Childhood Development Policy in Uganda. UNESCO: Kampala.

10 Kyasanku P. C, (2015). The State of Early Childhood Development and Education in Uganda. Unpublished, Makerere University

11 Gallagher, J & Clifford, R. (2000). Article published in Early Childhood Research & Practice. Frank Porter Graham Child Development Centre primary seven and senior four leavers who seek jobs in ECCE centres having failed to continue with their education. While present regulations expect that a kindergarten teacher should train for two years, after scoring at least 6 passes at ‘O’ level, many ECD centres are staffed with untrained teachers and caregivers.

12 Ejuu, G. (2012b). ‘Determinants of Public Investment in Early Childhood Development within the Education Section at National and Local Levels in Uganda’. Accessed at http://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/123456789/3589.

SECTION TWO: A SUMMARY OF THE OUTPUTS OF THE OBJECTIVES

SECTION TWO: A SUMMARY OF THE OUTPUTS OF THE OBJECTIVES TWO: A SUMMARY THE OF OBJECTIVES TWO: A SUMMARY THE OF OBJECTIVES

Cambridge Education was contracted by the Government of Uganda to review the existing 2007 ECD policy (including the existing different models of delivery). This work will support MoES to develop cost effective modalities for Government intervention into the provision of ECCE services and their equitable expansion, in line with the policy environment (NDPII, Vision 2040, NIECD). A proposed revised education sector Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Policy with associated guidelines and costings will be developed.

Specific Objectives, as highlighted on Page 1 of this Report, are:

1. To generate evidence to validate implementation of the current ECD policy.

2. To draft an ECCE policy and operational guidelines.

3. To draft an annualised 10-year costed action plan for the proposed ECCE policy.

4. To develop a Qualifications Framework and Accreditation System for ECD training with a costed implementation plan.

These objectives will result in:

The Early Childhood Care and Education Policy

Early childhood in this context refers to the first eight years of life. This period is extremely crucial as the rate of development of children is very rapid and the foundations are laid for cumulative lifelong learning and human development. ECCE is a foundation for lifelong learning and development, and has significant impact on success as children transition into primary education. It therefore becomes necessary to pay attention to ECCE and to invest in it adequately.

There is also increasing focus on ECCE as a means for improving the efficiency of primary schooling, by improving school readiness. There is a close statistical link between low levels of pre-primary participation, inefficiencies in early primary grades and poor cognitive skills. Underage admissions in already overcrowded and poorly resourced primary schools lead to low achievement, grade repetition and systemic inefficiencies. The introduction of play-based learning pre-primary classes can increase children’s readiness to learn, reduce pressure on early grade Teachers and improve children’s chances of progressing through the school curriculum. 13 Research conducted in Uganda in 2013 highlighted many of these challenges and indicated a return of 60% in terms of investment in pre-primary education on future income, productivity and health.14

The ECCE policy will clarify the MoES’s policy position and a mechanism for fulfilment of its roles and responsibilities. It will provide an action plan to ensure access to quality education services for children from conception to eight years of age, and it will drive continuous improvement of services. The revision of the education sector ECD policy also aims to ensure reference to the 2016 NIECD policy. Therefore, the updated ECCE policy will provide a comprehensive approach towards ensuring a sound foundation for early learning for every Ugandan child. The Policy will provide programmes and provisions for children from birth to eight years of age, catering for all domains of development i.e. cognitive development, knowledge, skills, and understanding, language, communication and literacy, social and emotional development, and approaches to learning. It will cover early learning and care priorities for each age bracket within the continuum, i.e. care, early stimulation for children birth to 3 years, developmentally appropriate early learning for children of 3 to 6 years, and lower primary education for children of 6 to 8 years, with components of school readiness and transition for 5 and 6 year old children. The policy will support application of a variety of ECCE programme and related services in public and private settings countrywide by endorsing different categories of service provision such as day care centres, play groups, nursery schools, community-based centres, and home-based care.

13 Crouch, L. (in press 2017) Stumbling at the first step: efficiency implications of poor performance in the foundational first five years. Cited in M Woodhead, J. Rossiter, A Dawes & A Pankhurst (2017). Scaling-up early learning in Ethiopia: exploring the potential of 0-Class. Young Lives.

14 Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (2016). Quality pre-primary education in Uganda. How can universal access be achieved? Budget Monitoring and Accountability Unit Briefing Paper 7/16.

The Operational Guidelines and Standards

Generalised recommended operational guidelines will be developed and provided to the MoES to guide in the implementation of the ECCE Policy and offer benchmark parameters and step-by-step guidance on how to review the existing Ugandan operational standards or to take the decision to develop new ones. The general operational standards generated will also provide direction on how the existing operational standards can be aligned to the new ECCE policy. The actual content and revision process of the operational standards will be agreed upon through a consultative process led by the MoES and the Technical Reference Committee.

The Ten Year Costed Action Plan

A costed annualised implementation strategy will be developed. This will be a ten-year actionable roadmap that will help the MoES to achieve the policy goals that will enable many Ugandan children to attain the desired milestones for ECCE. This plan will be a critical tool that will guide and direct programmes to meet the growing demand for ECCE. It will provide systematic implementation strategies and budget for all thematic areas of the ECCE policy; demand creation; service delivery and access. This in turn will enable MoES to prioritise ECCE interventions, make strategic resource allocation decisions, mobilise resources, and monitor progress of their interventions.

A proposed ECCE Qualification Framework and Accreditation System

The emergent Qualification Framework and Accreditation System will ensure that there are a costeffective, realistic and implementable set of qualifications for those working in ECCE, which are attractive and attainable, while ensuring that after qualifying they will be competent practitioners, recognised within the sector for their level of competency, and have access to progression routes and career paths required for a workforce to deliver age appropriate packages of ECCE services.

Nomenclature and Scope

Before describing CE’s approach to delivering the project objectives in Section 3 below, a note on nomenclature is required. Throughout this Inception Report, CE uses the term Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), in line with the proposed name of the revised policy. However, where ‘ECD’, ‘ECDE’ or ‘ECE’ are used in official literature or where the intention is to refer to the broader early childhood sector then the appropriate acronym is adopted. The decision to use the acronym ‘ECCE’ was determined both by the use of this term in the Project ToR (Annex A), and also as a result of the inception period discussions, where the MoES and other partners clarified that the policy must address the needs of children from conception to the age of 8. As a result of this determination a broader focus on care and education is more appropriate than a restricted focus on education alone (i.e. encompassing ECCE, not just ECE). While the policy recommendations will talk to the role of other government ministries, for instance in relation to the role of pre-schools in creating space for health and other services, also developing upon the cross-cutting responsibilities that the education sector has in relation to other government ministries as detailed in the NIECD Action Plan for Uganda (2016 - 2021), it is not the intention of this process to provide policy and standards in relation to early childhood health, social development, etc. These are clearly the responsibilities of the other relevant line Ministries.

SECTION SECTION THREE: APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY THREE: APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY THREE: APPROACH AND THREE: APPROACH AND

Cambridge Education (CE) will share knowledge freely with counterparts, co-construct workshops and meetings, consult stakeholders at all levels, share tasks as appropriate while managing their overall coordination, and acknowledge the contribution of others. A key element of this participation will be the involvement and guidance of the Technical Reference Committee (TRC) that has been appointed by the MoES, and also the other Working Groups that have been established by the MoES for purposes of increasingly senior checking and approval. These Committees together represent an important set of diverse stakeholders and perspectives that can help to influence the activities of the consultancy team.

The project will seek to learn and build on existing ECCE evidence and data including recent evaluations of government, CSO partner and private supported initiatives, including for example the GPE-funded CCCP training evaluation, the DFID-funded ARK project, the rollout of NIECD actions and the National ECD provider’s inventory. Deliberate efforts will be made to identify, link and collaborate with ongoing ECCE initiatives such as the research undertaken by GeoGecko and any others as recommended by the MoES.

See the diagram below for an overview of the guiding principles that underpin CE’s approach:

Objective 1: To generate evidence to validate implementation of the current ECD policy

Activity 1: Develop an information and knowledge base on ECCE

Activity 1.1 Desktop research: The desktop research will start during the inception process and will inform a limited literature review that focuses on the rationale for investment in ECD, supported by international and regional experience of ECD provision, and models of ECCE delivery. The Ugandan context will be highlighted with an overview of ECD programmes being conducted in Uganda. The desktop research will also inform the approach that the Project team takes to the survey and mapping exercise described below under Activities 1.2 and 1.3. Furthermore, during the immediate post-inception period this foundation of knowledge will be expanded as new information arises and the Consultancy Team expands their review.

Activity 1.2 Conduct a national study of delivery of ECCE services to provide analysis of existing ECCE models and practices, and develop case study monographs of effective models of ECCE delivery. The study will profile existing ECCE programme models for children up to the age of 8, according to type15, provisions and geographical location Furthermore, the survey will provide information on cost, provider, and delivery mode16 with the aim of assessing the relevance, effectiveness, sustainability and efficiency of these models of delivery. The study will involve a survey of a range of ECCE centres supported and triangulated with interviews and observations. Using a mixed methods approach we will create a picture for the MoES of: i. the current status of ECCE in 30 communities in 10 districts across Uganda; ii. processes and practices in up to 180 modes of ECCE centres; iii. skills, abilities and qualifications present among caregivers; iv. nature and capacity of key training and support institutions; v. networks and associations available; vi. compliance with government requirements; and vii. challenges that the ECCE centres face.

The selected districts, which represent a cross-section of Ugandan districts, have been selected purposively. The process of selecting the 10 districts was conducted based on the following:

• •• • All districts included in the Uganda National Early Childhood Development Service Provider Inventory (2016) were stratified by region (based on the traditional four regions) and then by intensity of ECCE service provision extrapolated from the data (including districts with high, medium and low intensity of provision).

• •• • To ensure that these districts were broadly representative of the country, they were then checked and the list modified based on providing a cross-section of wealth, including urban and rural districts, intensity of interventions and educational performance.

•• • The variables that were used are listed below in the table.

•

15 Types would include: Public referring to Government-run UPE schools with income-generating ECCE classes attached; Not-for-Profit provision by NGOs, FBOs and CBOs; Private referring to for-profit provision by individuals and companies; Community and Informal referring to voluntary contributions within the community, including positive parenting initiatives

16 The delivery modes refer to day care centres; home based centres; community based centres; nursery schools or kindergartens; and lower primary classes

Criteria used to determine the district sample:

No. Criteria

1. In each region,

• A district with high numbers of ECCE services

• A district with few ECCE services

2. GPE/QEI/MoES priority districts and other CSO supported districts

3. Districts with minority populations such as refugees, pastoralist and fishing community

4. Rural vs urban districts

5. National examination results in Primary Leaving Exam (PLE) and National Assessment of Progress in Education (NAPE)

The final proposed list of Districts to be targeted is:

Reasoning

To understand the drivers and barriers to access and quality ECCE services. Regional differences are known to be important determinants of access to ECCE17

Draw lessons from ongoing interventions in terms of what is working and not working such as GPE CCCP interventions, so as to inform ECCE models

Document and consider unique needs specific to these subpopulations

Document contextual enablers, inhibitors and resources that impact ECCE provision

Document high performing and less well performing to help understand the relationship between ECCE and later performance

The national study will provide rich verifiable data on present ECCE delivery modes and types. This ‘deepdive’ approach will inform the revised policy, the operational standards and implementation guidelines, and the Qualifications Framework and Accreditation System, and will also enable the Project team to calculate costings for the various models of ECCE service delivery. To that end, we will implement the following process (refer also to Annex C for a more detailed discussion of the proposed methodology):

Step 1: We will draw a purposive sample of ten districts with two from each of the (traditional four) regions of Uganda - Central Region (including one with island communities), Western Region, Eastern Region, and Northern Region (of which one will be in Western Nile and will include provision for refugee communities), along with 2 extra districts (Kampala and one from among the Karamoja districts).

Step 2: During district visits, and with the assistance of the District Education Officer (DEO) and local leaders, the Research Team will identify and stratify the ECCE service providers according to rural settings and urban settings. Care will be taken to include those privately-owned sites which appear to have been missed in previous surveys.

17 See Education Statistical Abstract 2011 for regionally varied spread of ECD sites.

Step 3: Finally, the modes of service delivery will be stratified according to those outlined in the Policy. These are: i) day care centres for children aged 0 - 3 ii) home-based centres for children aged 0 - 3 and 3 - 6 iii) community-based centres for children aged 3 - 6 iv) nursery schools/kindergartens for children aged 3 - 6 v) lower primary classes for children aged 6 - 8

In addition, we will include: vi) Other initiatives (which do not fall into modes i - v)

Step 4: In each district three sub-counties will be identified and within them the researcher will identify up to five ECCE sites representing each of the modes of service delivery. If the researcher identifies any centre/site which does not fit into the five modes, this will be added. Each of the selected sites will be visited by a researcher. Data will be collected over the course of a full day, including structured observations of the site, a questionnaire for the head of the ECCE centre, and separate focus group interviews with site Management Committee members, teachers/caregivers and parents. The researcher will also observe between 30 and 45 minutes of the learning process in a live session and assess the quality of the learning process using a carefully calibrated set of variables in an observation tool. The questionnaire and site observation data will be coded and entered onto Android Samsung Tablets that each researcher will carry, with individual password-protected access. The interview scripts will be analysed using analytical induction. Analytic induction is a research strategy aimed at systematically developing causal explanations for types of phenomena. Meanwhile, the learning process observations will be analysed by the early learning specialists in the team using an analytical framework that they will develop for the purpose based on the MoES’s Early Learning Standards, local conditions and international experience. Collectively, these data will be triangulated and supplemented with data from interviews with sub-county and district officials and NGO/CBO providers.

Step 5: The data will be analysed to understand the key variables and those variables will be cross tabulated to better understand the effectiveness and efficiencies of the various modes of delivery. In addition, these data will be compared with data that the MoES collects at district and national levels to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of existing data collection processes and to draw out the gaps in these processes. Overall a maximum of 18 sites will be profiled in each district, making a total of 180 profiles, with 30 profiles of each mode of service delivery. The 30 profiles will then be analysed using correlational statistical tests to isolate and relate key variables. From this analysed data, a set of case study monographs will be developed describing a limited number of models of delivery. The focus in these monographs will be on, inter alia, how well the models care for and stimulate children, the staffing approach used, the infrastructure provided, and whether each one offers value for money. This analysis and measurement of how variables correlate and function in existing modes of service delivery will help determine the most effective modes for use in the national scale up of ECCE programmes. We will also use the survey results to produce 5 costed cases (or 6 should other initiatives, which do not fit within existing modes be found); one for each mode of delivery, as well as unit cost per child.

Activity 1.3 Identify Gaps in Present ECD/ECCE Data: During and immediately after the inception period the CE Consultancy Team will collect any existing databases of ECD/ECCE service delivery, including on service delivery sites and organisations. This data will be examined for depth and breadth. While it will not be possible for this project to produce a comprehensive picture of ECCE delivery nationally throughout Uganda, nonetheless by providing data from a number of selected sites in each region across the country, the project will provide a more complete picture of the state of delivery of ECCE than is presently available. It will also allow us to identify where MoES information and data gaps exist and advise the MoES on how to fill these data gaps. While there is some data available on ECCE sites – see UNICEF’s Uganda National Early Childhood Development Service Provider Inventory (June 2016) and the recent FSD survey of over 10,000 state primary schools which report that they offer ECD classes – it is incomplete and does not tackle the burgeoning private sector and informal provision of ECCE both in urban and rural areas.18

Activity 1.4 Use of the baseline data: The data collected and analysed during the research process will be used to inform the various outputs required from this project. These data, and what they tell us about the state of ECCE in Uganda, will be presented to regional and national workshops in September 2017 for endorsement and critical review by relevant district and national officials. The mapping exercise will also allow CE to advise the MoES on the state and accuracy of its present data on ECCE and how gaps that have been identified could be filled.

Activity 2: Ensure all recommendations have been verified and endorsed through broad consultation

Activity 2.1 National Consultation: At the various stages of the project the Project team and the TRC will make sure that key national stakeholders are kept informed of the thinking behind the approach being taken at every stage of the project, and of the emerging proposals and recommendations for the Policy. In particular, there will be presentations at two national consultation workshops held in Kampala at strategic moments in the project – after the survey findings and report on existing models are available for feedback, and then again towards the end of the Project when draft Policy recommendations are available. The Workshops will invite national stakeholders and service providers. At the same time throughout the project a hierarchy of committees established by the MoES – namely the TRC, the ECD Working Group (ECD-WG), the M&E Working Group (M&E-WG), the Education Sector Coordination Committee, the Sector Policy Working Group, and the Top Management Committee - will inform and monitor the development of the Policy and supporting documents. These two processes for consultation and gaining feedback are critical to ensuring that the resultant Policy and operational guidelines are practical and in line with government requirements.

Activity 2.2 Regional Consultation: At a critical stage in the development of thinking on the ECCE models, when the results of the survey and the report on existing models are available, there will be a series of ten regional workshops across the country, culminating in one of the National Workshops highlighted above, where feedback from the regions will be presented. Officials from every district in the country will be invited to attend one of these workshops, along with parent representatives, NGO, CBO and FBO practitioners and experts, as well as refugee leaders and other stakeholders. At the workshops the realities of implementing the proposed models will be debated, and local ECCE service providers will be invited to comment on their experiences. These regional consultations, as with the national ones, will be documented by CE. The recommendations emanating from them will be used to make inform the Policy and other outputs from the project and to make sure that these documents contain standards and implementation strategies which are feasible and relevant to the needs of Uganda.

Activity 2.3 Use of Evidence from the Consultations: Once the evidence has been collected from these engagements, the CE team will work on proposing revisions and additions to the 2007 ECD Policy as well as using the data to inform the four target Operational Standards and the QF & AS. The data on costs, which will be collected while in the field, will be used to start developing costing models for the various modes of ECCE delivery.

Objective 2: To draft an ECCE policy and operational guidelines

Activity 3: Develop a proposed revised education sector ECD Policy19 with operational standards and implementation guidelines

Activity 3.1 Inform the ECCE Policy: The proposed ECCE policy will be a revision of the MoES’s ECD Policy of 2007. The 2007 Policy was due for a ten-year review. The revised Policy must reflect developments in the field of ECD over the intervening period and the publishing of the NIECD Policy in 2016. The Policy that is developed will be a sectoral policy that underpins and aligns with the Government of Uganda’s NIECD Policy. The exact nature of the revisions will be informed by the research and consultation processes described in Activity 1 and 2 above.

Activity 3.2 Write the revised ECCE Policy: The Project team will collate the information and data collected during Activities 1 and 2 above, as well as the costs projections of the different ECCE choices available, and use these materials to propose the contents of the revised ECCE Policy. The aim will be to develop a policy document which is practical and implementable within the context of Uganda, meaning that choices will be made with the TRC about what targets are realistic to ensure prioritisation and real improvements. The policy and the supporting documents detailed in 3.3 will be thoroughly critiqued through the inclusive consultation processes described and will undergo various iterations, until they are deemed fit for purpose.

Refer to Figure 3, below, which presents a visual representation of the steps outlined above.

19 The Technical Reference Committee agreed on 7 April 2017 that the new and updated Policy would be called the ECCE Policy

Activity 3.3 Development of supporting documents: The Project team will make sure that the proposed MoES ECCE Policy is realistic and implementable by guiding the review of the operational standards. A guidance paper will be developed and submitted on how to review and develop the following documents: i. Revision of the Operational Standards, particularly (a) the Learning Framework with specific reference to learning areas 4 and 5; (b) the guidelines for establishing ECCE centres and training institutions; and (c) the centre management committee manual to incorporate other stakeholders e.g. parenting guide. These must align with the 2016 NIECD Policy and Action Plan and reflect good practice identified in the research for this project. This will also involve consultation and coordination with MoES units and particularly NCDC. ii. Proposals on optimal Operational Standards based on international practice for consideration by relevant MoES units and departments as the basis for changes to existing operational standards iii. Production of implementation guidelines, which will explain how the policy and the operational standards can be implemented at local, district and national levels.

Activity 3.4 Cost the implementation of the proposed Policy and standards over a 10-year implementation period: To feed into Activity 4 (below) and Objective 3, the Project team is tasked with producing costed options for implementation. The Economist on the team will contribute to the survey implementation by guiding the requirement for gathering unit costs (refer to Annex E on requirements for data), and will then undertake a process of consultation with the MoES to determine what the avenues for financing are and where this leads interms of feasible implementation options. This will result in a 10-year costing for the rollout of the ECCE Policy by MoES, including at district level. This is key to ensuring that the proposals in the Policy are prioritised, implementable, time bound and costed.

Objective 3: To draft an annualised 10-year costed action plan for the proposed ECCE policy

Activity 4: Provide proposed costed models of ECCE delivery models and training ECCE practitioners

The Economist will use the data related to the implementation of the ECCE Policy, identified ECCE delivery models and the QF & AS to produce costed options for delivery and training. With the data collected from the research phase there will be a process of consultation with the MoES to determine the avenues for financing and, therefore, what the feasible implementation options could be.

The experience of the Economist in the costing of proposed innovations in the education sector is that costs based on existing similar initiatives cannot be relied upon as a basis for costing a national rollout. This is due to the following:

• Innovations are often introduced by individuals or communities who have great enthusiasm for the action. As a result, these early initiatives often benefit from contributions of time (for example, parents supporting activities in the classroom) or in kind and goods (for example, books contributed by members of the local community) which improve the quality of provision. In some cases, the innovation would not happen at all without these contributions. However, such essential contributions are unlikely to be available to all in a national roll-out and any costing based on the unit costs of early adopters is likely to be an underestimate of true costs.

• Funding may come from a variety of sources – public, private and voluntary sector – each requiring different methods of accounting. In addition, some support may be given in kind; for example, an international NGO may fund some of the teachers and employ them directly.

• Unless existing provision has very clear financial recording and access to financial information from its partners, it is often very difficult to amalgamate these sources into a single per unit cost.

• Some innovations occur within an existing institution such as a school. Experience dictates that it is often very difficult to isolate the separate cost.

Therefore, it is proposed that costing should be based on the resources (managers, caregivers, administrators, equipment, premises) that are necessary to deliver a particular model of implementation. Given the amounts required of each resource, the Project team can then apply appropriate prices (which may differ by region) to obtain a total cost. While such an approach to costing requires the construction of a detailed set of spreadsheets, it has the advantage that the financing impact of any proposed change in delivery can be easily inspected. At the point that spreadsheets are well developed, a workshop with the MoES will be held to review their usefulness as a financial planning tool.

In order to achieve this output, the Economist will undertake the following steps:

1. Contribute and oversee the data collection exercise

The proposed methodology requires a considerable amount of data. In order to ensure the effective use of the data collection instruments by the researchers, the economist will work with researchers to guarantee the successful roll-out of the survey. The Economist will also meet with the MoES, the Technical Reference Committee, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, and any other relevant stakeholders able to shed light on current financing models and mechanisms in the ECCE sector.

2. Analysing the survey data and developing the basis for financial planning

When the proposed strategic policy actions and action plan have become clear, the Economist will work with members of the Project team and the MoES to:

• •• • develop a clear understanding of the resources that will be required to deliver the action plan;

• •• • draft the spreadsheets required to develop the annualised financing plan;

•

•• • undertake the preliminary population of the spreadsheets for discussion.

3. Completion of costed ECCE models and training options aligned with financial planning tools

Finally the Economist will review the financial planning spreadsheets and costed options for ECCE services and training with the MoES and other key stakeholders. The feedback from this consultation will inform the final costing report.

As an extension of the development of the QF & AS, the CE team will also propose costed training models. These will be based on data which will be collected during the survey. Specifically, for this objective we will be collecting data on existing opportunities and challenges in pre-primary teacher training for the ECCE sector in Uganda offered by universities, teacher training colleges and other providers. This will include working alongside technical experts from the MoES and NCHE, in partnership with local universities and teacher training colleges. Overall, we will approach this part of the task with the aim of promoting effective and sustainable approaches for quality improvement.

The proposed training models need to be cost-effective, flexible and practical so that candidates can be trained in public or private teacher training colleges and universities or by registered and certified private providers with the requisite infrastructure and skills. As with the policy and QF & AS recommendations, the proposed training models will be subjected to scrutiny to ensure that they are relevant to Uganda, and costed to ensure that they would be affordable in the medium term.

Objective 4: To develop a Qualifications Framework and Accreditation System for ECD training with a costed implementation plan

Activity 5: Develop a Costed ECCE Qualifications Framework and Accreditation System (QF & AS)

Activity 5.1 Gather data: As with the revision of the policy, it is critical that the QF & AS is informed by (i) realities on the ground; (ii) the capacity of the Ugandan Government, and training centres and other providers; and (iii) international best practice. To make sure that the QF & AS and proposed training models are adequately informed, considerable qualitative research will be required to generate data that underpins these three considerations, as well as the potential costs of implementing the proposed QF & AS. These data will be collected during the first few months of the project, alongside the research to inform the policy, from the survey and specific data gathering processes in teacher training colleges (including MoES programmes such as CCCP), the key universities (Kyambogo, Makerere, Ndejje, Nkumba and UCU), and with private providers who are involved in training caregivers and ECD facilitators including the YMCA, and the Aga Khan Foundation.

The data gathering process will involve defining, through consensus building on the requirements, the aims and objectives for a national QF & AS for the ECCE sector in Uganda. This will aim to unify views on the assumptions embraced in the 2016 NIECD Policy, which indicates that a well-trained and appropriately qualified workforce is pivotal for improving the quality of ECCE services in Uganda. At this stage the balance between practice-based and theoretical qualifications will be debated, at the same time as building understanding of what qualification frameworks and competency-based approaches are.

Activity 5.2 Develop the QF & AS: This objective will be achieved by working alongside key stakeholders on a five-step participatory process (see Figure 4, below). The team of local and international ECD specialists have considerable experience of developing such frameworks for ECD and other education levels, in a number of developing countries. The emergent QF & AS will be workshopped with key stakeholders to ensure that they are in line with government requirements and capacity. The main aim will be to ensure that the resultant QF & AS are cost-effective, realistic and implementable within the Ugandan context and, as a result, offer a set of qualifications for those working in ECCE, which are attractive and attainable, while ensuring that after qualifying they will be competent practitioners and have access to progression routes and career paths required for a workforce to deliver age appropriate packages of ECCE services. Refer to Figure 4 below for an overview of the steps outlined above.

Activity 6: Enable the MoES to use the QF & AS to manage, audit and review the Policy and ECCE training standards

It is essential that the MoES is in a position to continue its oversight and quality assurance role in relation to ECCE in order to advance equitable access to quality delivery. The QF & AS will provide the framework within which the MoES can monitor and quality assure the implementation of the revised policy. It will also allow the MoES, in support of its university and training organisation and institutional partners, to ensure that pre-primary teachers and practitioners across Uganda, and particularly in the most disadvantaged areas of Uganda, are appropriately qualified and supported. The team will propose strategies for enhancing the provision of pre-service and in–service training through professional development. This in turn aims to attract quality intake to join ECCE training and the ongoing development of career paths. CE will also provide information sharing sessions with MoES officials and relevant practitioner trainers from universities, primary teacher colleges, as well as from private providers of ECCE practitioner training where the revised Policy, along with the standards and guidelines, and the QF & AS, are unpacked, and ways of using the QF & AS to manage and review the Policy and training standards will be agreed upon.

SECTION FOUR: PROJECT FOUR: PROJECT DELIVERABLES DELIVERABLES

Our overarching assumptions in undertaking this assignment are that:

- All parents want their children to attend an ECCE facility

- Private and public providers respond positively to the revised policy and develop appropriate ECCE facilities in each community

- Stakeholders are willing to be involved during the whole project cycle

- All documents are made available

- Revised policy will work to increase equity and access

- Revised policy will provide clarity on the roles and responsibilities of the MoES within the broader integrated plan and improve the environment for efficiency of service delivery