Preprimary school years is fun – serious fun. Music, storytelling, movement, outdoor play, role play and drama give children basic literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills. These are the building blocks of a child’s education that put them on the right track for a life of learning. Children who do not have the chance to start their education early are put at a serious disadvantage before they even start school. One recent UNESCO study showed that students who attended some form of organised early childhood education in 13 African countries scored 66 points higher in reading, on average, than those who did not.

The only way we can move forward is to share lessons between countries on what works. We did just this in our latest report, assessing what the policies were that had enabled countries to achieve fast progress. Recommendations emerged from comprehensive analyses of the issue and they all related to the cost barriers to access.

It is important to legislate and offer free and compulsory pre-primary education. But only about half of the countries in the world have done this so far. While one policy change cannot be assessed out of context, there is a clear jump in children’s early education access across countries that put such legislation in place.

While there is no magic wand to overcome all educational challenges, there are clear lessons we can draw from looking at existing policies. Education can and should start early. If they legislate, regulate and finance appropriately, countries can certainly reach their early education goals.

(Manos Antoninis e Silvia Montoya. www.aljazeera.com, 07.02.2023. Adaptado)