Jakarta - A change in attitude and better cooperation between government departments are essential for increasing participation in early childhood education, a noted child psychologist says.
Only 48 percent of the country`s 28.4 million children aged between two and six years are enrolled in early education programs, according to the latest Education Ministry data.
The rate was 42 percent in 2005 and 45 percent in 2006.
In 2005, UNESCO listed Indonesia as having one of the world`s lowest rates of participation in early childhood education.
South Korea and Malaysia were among the countries reported as having participation rates of nearly 100 percent.
"The most fundamental contributor to the low participation rate is parents` attitude toward early childhood education," child psychologist and chairman of the National Commission for Child Protection, Seto Mulyadi, told The Jakarta Post.
"Many parents have yet to understand early childhood is a golden phase in a child`s development. Such awareness has yet to spread widely," Seto said.
He said the country needed a large-scale campaign to promote early education.
He suggested the Education Ministry avoid limiting early childhood education to formal approaches.
"It must be promoted through nonformal and informal ways, too. That`s why the Education Ministry must cooperate with other institutions, such as the State Ministry for Women`s Empowerment and the Social Services Ministry," Seto said.
He said families, especially mothers, play a crucial role in early childhood education, particularly for very young children.
Early childhood education refers to education for children in the first six years of life, a period often regarded as the "golden age" of human development.
Children`s physique, intelligence, personality, interpersonal skills and social and emotional behaviors form during this phase.
Source: old.thejakartapost.com (30 April 2008)
