UNICEF (press release), NY
Oct 2 2007
UNICEF Armenia calls for more investment in early childhood learning
© UNICEF/Armenia 2007/Igor Dashevskiy
Photo: October 2007. Armenia. A kindergarten in Dilijan, Tavoush
region. Number of children attending preschools in Armenia has
drastically dropped since independence as well as the number of
preschools.
YEREVAN, 2 October 2007 – Representatives from ministries,
parliament, governors, international organizations and members of
non-governmental organizations gathered today to discuss challenges
of early childhood learning and pre-school education in Armenia.
The roundtable on `Education Reforms and Pre-school Priorities’,
organized by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with UNICEF,
served as a forum to discuss current programmes for early childhood
education and development and mechanisms to increase investments in
education for young children.
`Decades of research have proven the importance of early childhood
learning and shown that pre-school is a sound public investment,’
UNICEF Representative in Armenia Sheldon Yett said. `Investments in
improving pre-school system will pay tremendous dividends down the
road.’
For every $1 spent on early childhood care, there is a $7 return
through cost savings. This figure is derived from studies showing
that participants in pre-school and day care are less likely to
suffer illnesses, repeat grades, drop out of school, or require
remedial services later in life. Moreover, by shifting money within
budgets, nations can create comprehensive programmes for their
youngest citizens without adding large sums of money or further
depleting their budgets.
In Armenia the care and education for young children does not receive
the budgetary resources required. The situation in Armenia is fairly
typical to many countries in the region. Pre-school attendance levels
have fallen with the dismantling of earlier centralized institutions
and structures, accompanied by cutbacks in social spending, without
complementary efforts to build local capacity and to ensure resources
at the local level are identified. The percentage of children
enrolled in pre-school dropped from 47 per cent in 1989 to just over
21 per cent in 2006.
`This means that today, most children start school at a significant
and progressive disadvantage. Most children, who are new entrants to
primary school, arrive unprepared for formal education. The result
is a shaky foundation – students risk being unable to meet their full
potential, reducing their eventual contributions to their
communities,’ Sheldon Yett emphasized.
This roundtable was an opportunity to carry out a comprehensive
review of existing pre-school activities in the larger context of the
ongoing education reforms, share experience on the importance of
pre-school education, review existing legislation that affects young
children, as well as discuss the possibility of increased budget
allocations for pre-schools. In addition, the event provided a forum
to bring up and analyze alternative pre-school models that have
already been successfully implemented in Armenia.
About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help
children survive and thrive, from early childhood through
adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing
countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and
sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the
protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF
is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals,
businesses, foundations and governments.
For further information, please contact:
Emil Sahakyan, UNICEF Armenia, Tel: (374 1) 523-546, 566-497,580-174
E-mail: [email protected]
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