The critical role of school readiness has been in the center of attention as a foundation step in lifelong learning and success. While there is a long history of research on school readiness, defining it as a unifying concept taking into account definitions, guidelines and timelines is somewhat problematic. There is little consensus amongst researchers on the definition of school readiness with at least about 150 definitions, each with different perspectives on what it means for a child to be "ready" for school.
From the Pacific Community (SPC) perspective, we view school readiness as a multifaceted process that supports the child to develop the range of skills that would be essential to thrive in a school setting.
A common belief in the Pacific is that school readiness programmes have the most significant impact on learning achievement, school completion, and social-emotional development for students who are disadvantaged by gender, socioeconomic background, and disability.
This recognition or understanding, along with other factors, has led to the inclusion of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 4.2, which aims to ensure that by 2030, all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care, and pre-primary education to be ready for primary school. This is measured by Indicator 4.2.1, which tracks the proportion of children aged 24-59 months who are on track in health, learning, and psychological well-being, by sex. These goals were further established and unpacked under the Education 2030: Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action for the Implementation of SDG 4 (the Education 2030 Agenda).
However, a recent joint United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report titled “Global Report on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE): The right to a strong foundation”, offers a concerning view of the global status of early childhood education (ECE). It reveals that the world is behind in meeting the SDG Target 4.2 by 2030.
The report also indicates that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the share of 10-year-old children who cannot read and understand simple text increased from 57% to 70% in low-and middle-income countries between 2019 and 2022. In developing countries, the challenge is further amplified by a lack of reliable data to measure outcomes and progress on learning over time.
In a direct response to this, the Global Coalition for Foundational Learning was founded in 2022 to bring together partners with a shared commitment to improving foundational learning for all and a desire to work together to drive change more quickly. Since then, modest progress has been made through country level advocacy on foundational learning crisis, co-generating new global evidence and guidance on foundational learning and formalising.
It also includes formalising the Commitment to Action (CtA) on foundational learning, which serves as a formal way for countries around the world and the global education community to demonstrate a commitment at the highest political levels to secure foundational learning for all children and to implement polices that will help achieve the targets under SDG4.
Considering this, the Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF) has been a key driver at improving the quality of the ECCE sector with the broader goal of ensuring a smooth transition to school with strong foundational skills as outlined in its policy priority areas under the Learning Pathways and Outcomes domain.
As part of this, SPC is working with education ministries of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Fiji, Niue, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu to select, adapt and pilot contextually relevant school readiness measurement tools. These tools will be used to assess, report and track student’s school readiness with a specific focus on supporting ECE teachers to use the data to design interventions aimed at strengthening students school readiness.
This project marks a purposeful shift from population level reporting of school readiness data to collecting and using data at classroom level to design interventions that support students’ foundational learning.
This approach aligns with broader PacREF commitments of supporting education systems in the region, particularly outcome 2 of the Learning Pathways policy, which focusses on ensuring that the “… youngest learners (pre-schoolers) are prepared to engage in formal learning.” It also supports outcome 1 of the Student Outcomes and Wellbeing policy area which aims to increase the percentage of learners achieving expected literacy and numeracy standards at all education levels, especially by the end of the primary school cycle.
While the work is far from complete, the insights gained from this project is expected to inform future strategies focussed on refining and scaling up the school readiness tool across the region.
Moving forward, one of the key priorities will be to ensure that the school readiness tools are accessible and relevant to all Pacific communities, regardless of their geographical or socioeconomic circumstances. This will require ongoing efforts to adapt the tool to local contexts, as well as targeted support for under-resourced areas.
There is also a need for continued capacity building for educators and community leaders, ensuring that they have the knowledge and skills to effectively implement relevant tools and support children's readiness for school.
By addressing these priorities, the Pacific can create a more inclusive education system that ensures all children have the opportunity to thrive. This will involve continued collaboration among Pacific nations, supported by PacREF architecture, to address the diverse challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. By building on the successes of the pilot and learning from the challenges, the region is well-positioned to create a more equitable and effective ECE system to ensure that the next generation of learners is well-prepared to thrive in school and beyond.
Note: This work is expected to end in December 2024 with the results and reports shared with stakeholders in the first quarter of 2025.
Author
Krishneel Reddy, Education Specialist - Research, Educational Quality and Assessment Programme (EQAP), Pacific Community (SPC) | [email protected]