A Case for Investment
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(c) 2017 ECCD & SEN Division, Ministry of Education, Kawajangsa, Thimphu, Bhutan UNICEF Bhutan Country Office, UN House, Peling Lam EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT IN BHUTAN P.O. Box 239, Kawajangsa, Thimphu, Bhutan A Case for Investment Photo credit: ECCD-SEN Division, Department of School Education, Ministry of Education and UNICEF Bhutan Designed and printed at Bhutan Printing Solutions (www.prints.bt) A CASE FOR INVESTMENT EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT IN BHUTAN A Case for Investment ECCD-SEN Division, Department of School Education, Ministry of Education and UNICEF Bhutan EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT IN BHUTAN “A nation’s future will mirror the quality of her youth — a nation cannot fool herself into thinking of a bright future when she has not invested wisely in her children.” — His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck ii A CASE FOR INVESTMENT Foreword i EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT IN BHUTAN Acknowledgements This report is the outcome of the cooperation and collaboration of many individuals and organizations. In particular, immeasurable gratitude is extended to: Sangay Jamtsho, Ameena M. Didi, Bishnu B. Mishra, and Sherpem Sherpa from the UNICEF office in Bhutan for their invaluable inputs and support throughout the consultancy period; Elinor Bajraktari from the UNICEF Headquarters for his instrumental guidance and direction, especially in the technical aspects of the study; Sherab Phuntshok, Karma Gayleg, Chencho Wangdi, and Karma Choden from the ECCD and SEN Division of the Ministry of Education for their vital guidance and feedback throughout the process; Karma Dyenka and Parvati Sharma from Save the Children Bhutan for sharing their ECCD expenditure statements and ECCD Impact Study reports; the DEOs and national level ECCD stakeholders for their cooperation; and to Kuenley Tenzin, the Project Coordinator for the School Rationalization Project, for his support during field visits. The children, parents, grandparents, and ECCD facilitators who became a part of this study during field visits represent an integral part of this report. Thank You. Pema Tshomo Consultant ii ii A CASE FOR INVESTMENT Abbreviations AWP Annual Work Plan BHU Basic Health Unit CBI Child Budgeting Initiative C4CD Care for Child Development CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child DEO District Education Officer ECCD Early Childhood Care and Development ECCD-SEN Early Childhood Care and Development and Special Education Needs EFA Education for All FYP Five-Year Plan MoE Ministry of Education M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MoH Ministry of Health MoWHS Ministry of Works and Human Settlement NC National Council NCWC National Commission for Women and Children NSB National Statistics Bureau OECD Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ORC Outreach-Clinics PISA Programme for International Student Assessment PP Pre-Primary RGoB Royal Government of Bhutan SDGs Sustainable Development Goals TLM Teaching and Learning Materials iii EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT IN BHUTAN Table of Contents Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................................. ii Abbreviations ....................................................................................................................................... iii Executive Summary............................................................................................................................. iv Introduction ...........................................................................................................................................2 Background ......................................................................................................................................2 The Purpose of the Study .................................................................................................................3 Methodology .....................................................................................................................................3 Why Invest in ECCD? ...........................................................................................................................6 ECCD as a Development Imperative ...............................................................................................6 ECCD as an Economic Imperative ...................................................................................................7 ECCD as a Social Imperative ...........................................................................................................7 The High Costs of Inaction ...............................................................................................................7 A Strong Context for ECCD Investment in Bhutan ...........................................................................8 What is the Status of ECCD in Bhutan? .............................................................................................14 A Brief Overview of ECCD in Bhutan .............................................................................................14 What is the Cost of ECCD? ................................................................................................................20 Expenditure Reports .......................................................................................................................20 Estimation of Costs: Current Investments ......................................................................................25 Capital Cost and Cost per Centre ..................................................................................................25 Recurrent Costs and Cost per Child ...............................................................................................29 Cost of ECCD to Parents ...............................................................................................................31 Scaling-up: What is the Cost of Expansion? ..................................................................................33 Population Projection (2016 to 2030) .........................................................................................33 Scenario A: Fifty per cent coverage by 2024 and 100 per cent by 2030. ...................................34 Scenario B: 100 per cent Coverage by 2030 .............................................................................34 A Comparative Analysis of Scenario A and B .............................................................................35 Important Factors to Consider During Expansion ......................................................................38 How to Scale-Up to Meet National Targets and the SDGs Without Compromising Sustainability? ...44 Conclusion ..........................................................................................................................................52 References .........................................................................................................................................53 Appendix I: List of Individuals Met ......................................................................................................55 Appendix II: ECCD and the Sustainable Development Goals ............................................................56 Appendix III: Bhutan’s ECCD Milestones ...........................................................................................57 Appendix IV: A List of Resources for ECCD Policymaking, Financing, and Models ...........................68 iv iv A CASE FOR INVESTMENT Executive Summary Investment in high-quality Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) is one of the surest ways of addressing inequities in health, ability, achievement, opportunity, and long-term success. Bhutan, through its endorsement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has committed to 100 per cent ECCD coverage by 2030 — a target that is yet to be matched with systemic and financial support. This report presents a case for increased investment in ECCD programmes in Bhutan with a particular emphasis on quality, equity, and sustainability factors. It addresses three key questions related to ECCD investments: 1. Why Invest in ECCD? The evidence in support of early childhood investments, which is embedded in neuroscience, social, economic, and development research, is not only robust but increasingly persuasive. ECCD investment is viewed as a development, economic, and social imperative. Early childhood interventions act as the first line of defence for disability, opportunity, health concerns, social protection, and inequity. It also enhances school readiness improving short-term and long-term educational outcomes. Studies show that ECCD investments offset costs that governments would otherwise incur due to low educational outcomes and higher health and social problems. The cost of inaction is high with irreversible negative long-term consequences. It is, therefore, not surprising that ECCD is an integral part of the global SDGs to transform the world by 2030. In addition to the compelling evidence in support of ECCD investments, the context for ECCD investment in Bhutan is reinforced by contextual evidence of existing disparities and high demand for ECCD from parents. National reports demonstrate disparities in early learning opportunities for children with disabilities and children from rural and poorer backgrounds. Evidence from this study highlights four key contextual reasons for increased ECCD investments