LEARNING and EDUCATION for DEVELOPMENT SOS Children's Villages Position Paper Table of Contents
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LEARNING AND EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT SOS Children's Villages Position Paper Table of contents Foreword .....................................................................................................................3 Executive summary .....................................................................................................4 Education for a life of dignity, respect and independence ...........................................6 Barriers to access quality education ............................................................................9 Our approach to education: Build positive relationships for child-centred learning and development ....................................................................12 Coping with trauma and disrupted education ............................................................16 Early childhood: The foundation of lifelong learning ................................................21 Formal education: Schools empower children ...........................................................26 Employability: Young people on the path to decent work and life ............................31 Strengthening parental and caregiver education: Support for children’s learning......37 Bibliography ..............................................................................................................41 2 SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGES I Learning and education for development Foreword SOS Children’s Villages supports and advocates child’s education. To truly succeed in sustaina- for children without parental care or at risk of bly reducing social inequalities and poverty, we losing it. We work in 134 countries and territo- have to focus on supporting children and young ries, reaching over 1.5 million children, young people and addressing the root causes of child people, families and caregivers each year. vulnerability and family separation. Our experience around the world, as reflected At SOS Children’s Villages we have a vision: in this paper, shows that the children and young Every child belongs to a family and grows with people we work with are highly disadvantaged love, respect and security. Our holistic approach when it comes to education and do not achieve to learning and education embraces all dimen- as well as their peers in school. Many interrelat- sions of child wellbeing. It accompanies chil- ed factors make it difficult for them to receive dren individually from birth onwards to develop adequate early childhood care, complete primary their own potential and strengths. Each individ- school, continue their education at secondary and ual’s educational path then contributes to the tertiary levels, access quality vocational training sustainable development of society as a whole. and successfully enter the labour market. We work through alternative care, family These children are confronted with a number strengthening, and various educational activ- of constraints in their family at psychosocial, ities, including in preschools and schools, all cultural and economic levels. Can a hungry, over the world to support parents and commu- working or traumatised child be successful at nities in providing a caring family environment, school? Can deprived, overburdened or mar- improving their socio-economic living condi- ginalised parents afford the costs of education, tions and promoting the active participation of claim education rights and convey a sense of children and young people. It is through em- self-confidence? Can young people who have powerment and knowledge that children, young dropped out of school successfully integrate people and parents successfully claim their into the labour market? right to a quality education. Since SOS Children’s Villages pioneered fam- ily-like alternative care in 1949, the develop- ment and education of disadvantaged children and young people has been a core part of our Siddhartha Kaul Wilfried Vyslozil efforts. We have witnessed that material pover- President Executive Chairman SOS Children's Villages SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit ty with insufficient nutrition, family income or International housing, and psychosocial factors such as the absence of a caring family environment often combine, leading to insufficient support for a 3 Executive summary and recommendations Education is a fundamental and enabling human ment, primary and secondary schooling, pro- right, and it must be realised for all children in fessional integration of young care leavers, and order to disrupt the intergenerational transmis- education for parents: sion of exclusion, poverty, violence, inequality • Children without parental care or at risk of and family breakdown. Education is key for a losing it often lack the stable, nurturing and life of dignity and respect and for advancing stimulating environment essential for their inclusive and fair human development. More- development. Early childhood development over, education has an important accelerating programmes can lessen these deficits, essen- role for areas such as health, gender equality, tially supporting healthy child-caregiver rela- peace and democracy, and decent employment. tionships and promoting children’s physical, socio-emotional and cognitive development. This paper sheds light on the complex social, cul- Evidence shows that children from poorer, tural and financial barriers that hinder learning less less educated and rural areas have less and access to quality education for millions of access to these services than their peers. children without parental care or at risk of losing • Children without parental care or at risk of it. Poverty, conflict or natural disaster, violence losing it are disproportionately excluded from and exclusion, HIV/AIDS, child labour and oth- the formal education system. About 124 mil- er hardships experienced during developmentally lion children and adolescents were not able to sensitive childhood and adolescence affect young enter or complete school in 2013. Selective, people’s ability to learn. The trauma they suffer underfinanced and deficit-focused education harms their resilience and coping skills and can undermines equitable access and reinforces lead to developmental delays for which the educa- inequalities for these children, leading to low tion system does not effectively compensate. basic skills levels and high drop-out rates. • Young people without parental care or at A holistic, inclusive, child-centred and relation- risk of losing it, including care leavers and ship-based approach to quality education and young people not in education, employment learning can support children in overcoming or training, are often politically, socially and deficiencies and delays and encourage them to economically excluded and even more mar- develop their individual strengths and build cop- ginalised from the labour market than their ing skills, self-esteem and resilience. Targeted peers. They are forced to become independ- and trauma-sensitive mentoring and coaching ent too early, often with low qualifications, from a lifelong learning perspective encourag- few life skills, and a lack of support and es children’s life skills and personal capabilities guidance. Early support measures, trust and relevant to local social, cultural and economic personal mentoring and coaching towards contexts. It empowers them to promote their in- employability further their social inclusion dependence and equal participation in social and and professional integration. economic life. • Positive parental attachment, care, protec- tion, stimulation and support set the founda- This paper highlights concerns in essential ed- tion for children’s learning success. Where ucation areas such as early childhood develop- parents lack the resources to promote their 4 SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGES I Learning and education for development children’s education adequately, holistic SOS Children’s Villages outlines possible in- adult education and training helps them to formal, non-formal and formal education in- develop their psychosocial and economic ca- terventions in each area based on our practical pacities, increase their knowledge and skills experience of accompanying children and their for caring and supportive child-caregiver re- families on their lifelong educational journey to lationships and encourages them to success- successfully navigate the education system and fully support their children’s education. overcome the obstacles and barriers that disad- vantage them. RECOMMENDATIONS For education to truly reach the most disad- should be supported through holistic and vantaged children, including children without cross-sectorial policies and measures. parental care or at risk of losing it, SOS Chil- 4. Safe and child-friendly trauma-sensitive dren’s Villages calls upon all stakeholders in spaces and learning environments, on-going the field of education, development, human- trauma support and counselling should be put itarian aid and social services. In particular, in place to promote the education of children it calls on national governments as primary without parental care or at risk of losing it. Ed- duty-bearers for education, on policy-mak- ucation systems should recognise the needs ers, international institutions, NGOs and civil and situation of traumatised children and ad- society groups, donors, schools and other equate rights-based training and supervision relevant service providers, educators and of involved staff and educators assured. media, to consider, support and implement 5. The quality, coverage and equal access to the