An Assessment of Quality Issues in the provision of Early Childhood Development B in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The study sought to assess the quality of service delivery for the Early Childhood Development B (ECD B) programme in Zimbabwe. The study covered all the ten provinces of Zimbabwe and adopted both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The qualitative approach was largely used to elicit views on quality provision of ECD B in Zimbabwe through the use of Focus Group Discussions, interviews, document analysis and observations. Questionnaires were used to solicit information from key informants such as head teachers, teachers-in-charge and teachers.The population from which the sample was drawn included all primary schools, Education officials at district, provincial and head office levels as well as registered ECD B centres in Zimbabwe. Random, convenience and purposive sampling procedures were used to select the study sample. The study used that it is a challenge to get qualified teachers to work in poor rural and otherwise difficult-toreach communities thus compromising the provision of quality ECD B in these areas. The teacher-pupil ratio at ECD B level in most parts of Zimbabwe is high, that is, it is way above the stipu-lated ratio of 1:20. A desk study of the Zimbabwean ECD curriculum indicates that it is effective and of good quality in that it is inclusive, play based and activities are developmentally appropriate. It is inclusive in that it welcomes learners in their diversity and can adapt to meet their learning needs which is one of the attributes of quality educa-tion.

Predictors of Early Childhood Developmental Outcomes: The Importance of Quality Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) Services

“…Although access to ECDE increased dramatically between 2009 and 2014, national gross and net enrolment rates remain low, at 78.4% and 77.2%, respectively [42]. Moreover, the provision of early childhood education services in Kenya, as in other countries in sub-Saharan Africa [21,43] remains far from satisfactory, as the majority of public preprimary schools are characterized by inadequate play and learning materials, shortage of trained teachers, poor and irregular pay for teachers, and lack of health and nutrition services.…”

“…As far as the literature has revealed, many of the studies that have been conducted on aspects of ECDE quality, such as teacher qualification and teacher training/ professional development, have established the influence of these aspects separately, without comparing which of the elements has a greater impact on ECDE quality. Similarly, although there have been studies investigating ECDE quality in sub-Saharan African settings [21,26,43], few of these studies have sought to establish the influence of different aspects of ECDE structural quality on children's developmental outcomes. Such limitations of ECDE research make it difficult to determine what works in under-resourced contexts.…”