Early childhood education: different contexts, different approaches

The nationwide expansion of quality early childhood education (ECE) as a public service is a relatively new strategic priority in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. In this paper, we highlight the cases of Zimbabwe and... [ view full abstract ]

The nationwide expansion of quality early childhood education (ECE) as a public service is a relatively new strategic priority in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. In this paper, we highlight the cases of Zimbabwe and Zambia, neighbouring countries in which ECE is part of the mainstream education system and thus a responsibility of the Governments. In Zimbabwe, the expansion of ECE services by the government was already started more than a decade ago, while in Zambia it is a very recent development, prompting a significant investment in teacher training. Several teacher training colleges in Zimbabwe have been offering Diploma Courses in ECE since 2005. In Zambia, a Diploma Course for ECE teachers was only piloted in 2014 in 2 government colleges, with a progressive expansion planned over the next few years to all 12 government teacher training institutions.
Development partners such as VVOB and UNICEF have been supporting the Ministries of Education and their departments for teacher development in early childhood education in both Zimbabwe and Zambia. VVOB’s support has focused on capacity development at policy and strategic levels, as well as at the operational levels of initial teacher education and continuous professional development for ECE teachers. Applying a customized typology of capacity development methods, VVOB has been providing long-term, systematic capacity development and process guidance aimed at sustainability, efficiency and effectiveness. This paper investigates the effectiveness of the capacity development methods used in Zimbabwe and Zambia and offers guidance on how to tailor these methods towards a specific context.