At the time of the child king and the race for awakening, parents have become intractable on the choice of nursery school for their children.
Because their future depends on it?
“Everything is played before age 6”, professed Dr. Fitzhugh Dodson in his bestseller on education, published in 1970. Everything, that is to say walking, speaking, cleanliness, socialization, creativity, self-awareness, self-confidence. Before 6 years? More or less between birth and the start of the first year of school.
According to the TIMSS 2011 study (trends in international mathematics and science study) , students in Georgia who received preschool education scored 462 in science, compared to 439 on average for students who never attended Kindergarten.
The waves of educational reform in Georgia over the past decade have not had significant effects in the field of preschool and early childhood education. With the very first law on preschool education and the protection of young children adopted by the Georgian Parliament in June 2016, which received technical assistance from UNICEF, the government is committed to undertaking major reforms in the sector and specifically target improvements in terms of equitable access and quality of services.
The law retains the decentralized system of preschool and young children education, with the municipal authorities in charge of the delivery, management and financing of public services for children aged 2 to 6 years, age of entry into the cycle primary.
Setting new standards in preschool education
The law also introduces compulsory national standards for all public and private preschool institutions, which must be applied and monitored by an accreditation mechanism.
National standards will set targets in terms of quality for education, food, water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as infrastructure. The main achievement of the law is that it gives every child the right to preschool education.
Given an attendance rate of 62% for children aged 3 to 5, achieving universal accessibility in the protection and education of young children will require a significant increase in public investment in the sector. .
New law puts fairness at the center of everything
- In this process, equity issues will have to be taken into account, since at present there are many disadvantaged children who cannot benefit from early childhood and early childhood education services.
- Inclusive and child-centered education is at the heart of the new law. This provides the legal basis for the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against young children in preschools.
- Strengthening the capacities of local authorities in this area and creating an effective initial and continuing training system for preschool education professionals require further investment, in order to create the solid base of quality accessible services in the community of the whole country.
In spring 2018, the “Kindergarten Assises” took place. Two days of conference to “clarify the role of the nursery school in the education system”, and ask the right questions. So what is there to change in our nursery school? What is its main mission today?
