Lack of awareness on the roles of Early Child Care and Development or ECCD centres among the parents is one of the main challenges, the ECCD division, under the Education ministry faces.
Most parents still have the misconception that ECCD centres are downward extension of school learning where children just learn alphabets and numbers. However, officials say, the role is much more than what parents think.
This is one message that the ECCD Centre facilitators will take back home with them after the completion of their training, which is underway in Phuentshogling.
The first task for these fresh facilitators after they reach their ECCD centres will be to make parents understand the concept behind establishment of such centres. They are currently undergoing the basic ECCD Centre facilitator’s training.
According to officials, despite of parents being highly qualified, they fail to provide the most appropriate support and stimulation to the child that the centre provides.
Sending a child to such a centre is expected to improve the competency level of the child.
“It is believed that if children had opportunities to experience stimulating environment and support in the first five years of life they tend to do better in school and also in life,” said the Programme Manager of education ministry, Karma Gayleg.
More importantly, ECCD interventions are needed in rural areas where children do not get much intellectual or socio-emotional guidance from the parents.
There are one 150 rural ECCD centres across the country.
To promote the sense of waste management and environment friendly learning, the ECCD centres, especially those in the rural areas, have been using toys made out of locally available materials with support from the parents and the community. Such skill is also imparted to the facilitators during this training.
Meanwhile, with no separate budget allocated for ECCD centres, those working at the dzongkhag level find it difficult to manage the centres.
“We face difficulties in finding facilitators. This is mainly because the monthly salary package is not so attractive. Secondly, even after getting the job, it’s not stable. As and when they find better jobs, the facilitators leave,” said the Dzongkhag Education Officer of Trashigang, Ugyen Thinley.
There are 110 facilitators undergoing the training. They are being taught on the basics of child development and roles and responsibilities of ECCD centres. There are 240 such centres across the country.
