Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)

1. Legislation concerning ECCE:


The 1984 Child Care Act (308 Act) refers to all ECCE programmes for children under age 4. The Education Act (1996) has included pre-school education as part of the national school system. All kindergartens (3+ to 6+ years old) have to follow curriculum guidelines provided by the Ministry of Education.

2. Official body/bodies in charge of supervision or coordination:

The Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development and the National Unity Department for children under age 6 (3+ to 4+ years old and 4+ to 5+ years old).
The Department of Social Welfare and the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development for children under age 4 (0 to 3+ years old).

3. Other entities involved in the provision (e.g. municipalities, local governments) and main types of providers (e.g. public, private, mixed, community-based, etc.):

Pre-school education is provided by government agencies such as the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of National Unity and Community Development as well as the private sector and non-governmental organizations. All pre-school centres are registered with the Ministry of Education. The government operated 81.6% of the pre-school programs in 1995. Of these, 61.8% were operated by the Community Development Division of the Ministry of Rural Development, 9.5% by the Ministry of National Unity and Social Development, and 10.3% by the Ministry of Education. The other 18.4% were operated by the private sector. Public pre-school programs are free to parents and funded by the Government. Private programs charge fees.

4. Information concerning the curriculum (if applicable) or the contents of ECCE programs

The pre-school programme is based on a curriculum which is appropriate for 4–6 years old and compatible with their development, interests and unique needs. The curriculum is dynamic, child-centered and responsive to the diversity of populations that are represented in each classroom. Basically, the principles of the pre-school curriculum are:

(a) the understanding of children’s characteristics (they are active, curious and they need love, attention and security);
(b) the aim is to expose children to a rich and stimulating environment; and
(c) the programme provides a variety of support materials, such as concrete, printed, multi-sensory, interactive and user-friendly materials.

5. Objectives and aims:

The aim of the preschool education is to strengthen the acquisition of basic skills such as socialization process and personality development. The basic skills taught at this level are communication, social and other skills (3Rs) in preparation for primary schooling. The general objectives of pre-school education are to enable the children to:
• develop love for their country;
• be well mannered and practice moral values;
• master basic communication skills;
• respect the national language;
• master the basics of the English language;
• appreciate physical activities as a basis for good health;
• develop physically and practice good health and safety measures;
• develop critical thinking skills through enquiry and the use of all the senses



6. Average number of hours per week and average amount of weeks per year:

The recommended amount of instructional time is four hours per day, five days a week. The suggested timetable is as follows:
Class activities: 120 minutes (inside and outside classroom);
Group activities: 60 minutes;
Free activities: 30 minutes; and
Break/snacks/rest: 30 minutes.