2013年-世界发展银行全球_Kyrgyz_Republic___Early_Childhood_Development_32页_2mb

Kyrgyz Republic Early Childhood Development (ECD) Summary

Core Content

The Kyrgyz Republic is analyzed in the SABER-ECD Country Report (2013), which evaluates the country's ECD policies and programs. The report outlines three key policy goals for ECD: Establishing an Enabling Environment, Implementing Widely, and Monitoring and Assuring Quality. These goals are essential for ensuring optimal ECD outcomes and are assessed through a set of policy levers.

The country has a population of 5.5 million, with 65% living in rural areas and 29% under the age of 15. It ranks 126th in the UNDP Human Development Index and has a GNI of $2,036 per person. 36.8% of the population lives below the poverty line, and 8.6% of the eligible workforce is unemployed.

Main Policy Goals

1. Establishing an Enabling Environment

• Legal Framework:

  • The Kyrgyz Republic has enacted several laws, including the Law on Prevention of Iodine Deficit Illnesses (2000) and the Law on Enrichment of Bread Flour (2009), to address nutritional deficiencies.
  • The Law on Preschool Education (2009) supports early learning and care for children aged 6 months to 7 years, aiming for universal coverage in school preparedness programs.
  • The Law on Breastfeeding and Marketing Substitutes (2008) recognizes breastfeeding as the best nutrition for infants and aims to increase exclusive breastfeeding rates.
  • The Child Code (2012) mandates specialized juvenile judges and training for law enforcement to protect children's rights.

• Inter-sectoral Coordination:

  • Coordination across ECD sectors is limited, with ministries working independently.
  • A multi-sectoral working group was established, but its focus has been on preschool education rather than a comprehensive ECD strategy.
  • The President's Office initiated a National Strategy for ECD, but it was abandoned due to lack of support.

• Finance:

  • Public sector financial investment in ECD is low, especially in education.
  • Preschool education receives 9.4% of government education spending, but only 17% of children aged 3–6 attend preprimary school.
  • The unit cost of preschool education is three times higher than that of primary and secondary education.
  • Health expenditures have increased by 66% from 2007 to 2010, but no specific budget is allocated for young children and pregnant women.

2. Implementing Widely

• Coverage:

  • ECD programs are not widely implemented, especially in rural and lower socioeconomic areas.
  • Children aged 0–3 and those in preschool education are particularly underserved.

• Efforts to Expand:

  • The government has introduced 100-hour and 240-hour school preparedness programs.
  • A 480-hour full academic year program is being developed to replace the current ones.

3. Monitoring and Assuring Quality

• Data Availability:

  • There is sufficient data on service delivery but no system to monitor individual child development.

• Standards and Compliance:

  • Infrastructure and service delivery standards exist but are not adequately enforced.

Key Indicators

Key Policy Levers

1.1 Legal Framework

• Laws and regulations to support ECD are in place, but inter-sectoral coordination and financial mechanisms are inadequate.

1.2 Inter-sectoral Coordination

• Coordination across ministries and with non-state actors is limited.
• Education and health sectors have adopted Sector-Wide Approaches (SWAp), but ECD is not integrated across all sectors.

1.3 Finance

• Preschool education receives a moderate share of government expenditure.
• Health services for young children and pregnant women are officially free, but out-of-pocket costs are high (86% of private health expenditure).
• Government health expenditure as a % of GDP is 3.5%, which is below the Russian Federation and higher than Armenia and Uzbekistan.

Regional Comparison

Conclusion

The Kyrgyz Republic is at an "Emerging" level in ECD policy development, indicating limited progress in establishing an enabling environment, low coverage of ECD programs, and inadequate monitoring systems. While legal frameworks and some health and education initiatives have been introduced, inter-sectoral coordination and financial investment remain weak, especially in nutrition and child protection. There is a need for greater integration, increased funding, and systematic monitoring to improve ECD outcomes and ensure equitable access to services.