Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Tweet[IWS] ILO: EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PERSONNEL: FINAL REPORT on POLICY GUIDELINES ON THE PROMOTION OF DECENT WORK [April 2014]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
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International Labour Organization (ILO)
Sectoral Activities Department
ILO Policy Guidelines on the
promotion of decent work for early
childhood education personnel
http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_dialogue/---sector/documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_236528.pdf
http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_dialogue/---sector/documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_236528.pdf
[full-text, 47 pages]
DRAFT ILO POLICY GUIDELINES ON THE PROMOTION OF DECENT WORK FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PERSONNEL (12-15 November 2013)
[full-text, 41 pages]
Referring to the above, see--
FINAL REPORT: Meeting of Experts on Policy Guidelines on the Promotion of Decent Work for Early Childhood Education Personnel (Geneva, 12–15 November 2013)[April 2014]
[full-text, 41 pages]
ILO Policy Guidelines on the Promotion of Decent Work for Early Childhood Education Personnel
Many countries around the world are investing heavily in early childhood education (ECE) in view of evidence which has shown that early learning – when children’s minds are rapidly developing – can have an important positive influence on a child’s health, learning ability, and future job prospects. According to UNESCO, the worldwide gross enrolment ratio in pre-primary education increased from 33 per cent in 1999 to 50 per cent in 2011.
Yet, while everyone seems to recognize the importance of early-childhood education, the working conditions of early-childhood educators too often go ignored. Usually paid less than other educators, they often receive little or no training and have less room to grow professionally. At the same time, they often have longer working hours and less time to prepare activities or perform administrative tasks. Add to that the strain of frequent heavy lifting, exposure to communicable diseases from the seasonal flu to measles, and the psychological stress of working with small children. The often poor working conditions for ECE teachers have helped perpetuate a gender gap in the profession, which is predominantly occupied by women. As a result, ECE services often fail to provide positive male role models for young children.
These are just some of the problems identified in 2012 by an ILO Global Dialogue Forum on Conditions of Personnel in Early Childhood Education. In November 2013, a group of 15 experts representing governments, employers and unions met to address them and drafted a set of Policy Guidelines on the Promotion of Decent Work for Early Childhood Education Personnel.The first international document of its kind dealing with this topic, the guidelines set out principles for the training, recruitment and professional development of early-childhood education workers, as well as their working conditions. It also lays down principles concerning the obligations of ECE teachers towards children, parents and their employers. Among other things, the guidelines encourage countries to set wages allowing for a decent standard of living, provide teachers adequate time for preparation and training, establish occupational safety and health policies specific to ECE institutions, and set limits on staff-to-child ratios.
Abbreviations and acronyms ............................................................................................................. vii
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 1
1. Scope ......................................................................................................................................... 3
1.1. Objectives ....................................................................................................................... 3
1.2. Use .................................................................................................................................. 3
1.3. Field of application ......................................................................................................... 4
1.4. Definitions ...................................................................................................................... 4
2. General roles, rights and responsibilities .................................................................................. 5
2.1. Governments ................................................................................................................... 5
2.2. Employers and employers’ organizations ....................................................................... 7
2.3. ECE personnel, trade unions and organizations.............................................................. 7
2.4. Non-profit providers ....................................................................................................... 8
2.5. Other ECE stakeholders .................................................................................................. 9
3. ECE objectives and policies ...................................................................................................... 9
3.1. ECE as a public good and fundamental right .................................................................. 9
3.2. ECE content: Curricula and teaching methods ............................................................... 9
3.3. ECE financing as an investment to ensure quality, equity and sustainability ................. 10
4. Preparation for the profession ................................................................................................... 12
4.1. Education and training .................................................................................................... 12
4.2. Education and training for leaders, managers and auxiliary support .............................. 13
4.3. Education and training institutions ................................................................................. 14
4.4. Licensing and accreditation ............................................................................................ 14
5. Recruitment, deployment and retention .................................................................................... 15
5.1. Recruitment strategies ..................................................................................................... 16
5.2. Ensuring diversity ........................................................................................................... 17
5.3. Management of deployment ........................................................................................... 18
5.4. Background checks and vetting ...................................................................................... 18
5.5. Induction ......................................................................................................................... 19
5.6. Mobility .......................................................................................................................... 19
6. Professional and career development ........................................................................................ 20
6.1. Continual professional development ............................................................................... 20
6.2. Reflective practice .......................................................................................................... 21
6.3. Career development ........................................................................................................ 21
6.4. Other retention incentives ............................................................................................... 22
7. Employment terms and conditions ............................................................................................ 22
7.1. Remuneration .................................................................................................................. 22
7.2. Other financial incentives ............................................................................................... 23
7.3. Employment relationships and contracts ........................................................................ 24
7.4. Disciplinary procedures .................................................................................................. 25
7.5. Part-time work ................................................................................................................ 25
7.6. Auxiliary and paraprofessional staff ............................................................................... 26
7.7. ECE leaders ..................................................................................................................... 26
7.8. Leave ............................................................................................................................... 27
7.9. ECE workers with family responsibilities ...................................................................... 27
7.10. ECE personnel with disabilities, and those living with HIV .......................................... 28
8. Learning and teaching conditions ............................................................................................. 28
8.1. Working time .................................................................................................................. 28
8.2. ECE staff–child ratios ..................................................................................................... 29
8.3. Health and safety ............................................................................................................. 30
8.4. Violence-free workplace ................................................................................................. 31
8.5. ECE infrastructure and resources .................................................................................... 31
9. Social security and social protection ......................................................................................... 32
9.1. Social security ................................................................................................................. 32
9.2. Maternity or paternity protection .................................................................................... 32
10. Evaluating ECE personnel to support quality practice .............................................................. 33
10.1. Purpose and forms of evaluation ..................................................................................... 33
10.2. Professional ethics .......................................................................................................... 34
11. ECE governance and social dialogue ........................................................................................ 35
11.1. ECE governance and inter-sectoral coordination ............................................................ 35
11.2. Promoting social dialogue ............................................................................................... 36
12. Monitoring and follow-up of the guidelines.............................................................................. 38
Bibliography ...................................................................................................................................... 39
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