jakartaPost-July 3, 2024
Data from Statistic Indonesia (BPS) shows that only a measly 36.36 percent of Indonesian children attended pre-primary schools last year. This puts the country far behind the regional average, as UNICEF data suggests that East and Southeast Asia have an average of 80 percent in 2022 when it comes to early school participation. The United Nations’ recent report of a learning crisis experienced by low-and-middle income countries globally has raised concerns about the state of early childhood education in Indonesia, which appeared to be lagging its neighboring countries. The report, conducted by UNICEF in collaboration with UNESCO, underlines the importance of early childhood care and education (ECCE) to promote school readiness and lifelong well-being, among other things. However, almost 60 percent of children in low-income countries do not have access to early learning opportunities, the report notes. The UN emphasized that ECCE was the most transformative investment a country can make to give all children a fair start in life and combat inequalities early on. Making it mandatory Center for Education and Policy Studies (PSPK) executive director Nisa Felicia told The Jakarta Post on Monday that the Indonesian government is still too reliant on the private sector to operate ECCE, as only around four percent of pre-primary schools are state-owned, according to a PSPK report in January this year. This has made tuition more expensive, which subsequently exacerbates the difference in enrollment rates between children from wealthier and poorer families. Such a condition is reflected in the UN’s report; only 55 percent of children aged between 36 to 59 months growing up in the poorest households are developmentally on track, compared to 78 percent of children in the richest households. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2024/07/03/indonesia-lags-in-early-childhood-education.html.
