AKF supported Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre near Khorog, Tajikistan.
AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer
AKF supported Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre near Khorog, Tajikistan.
AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer
AKF supported playground near Khorog, Tajikistan.
AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer
AKF supported playground near Khorog, Tajikistan.
AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer
The Aga Khan Lycée, Khorog, Tajikistan.
AKS
The Aga Khan Lycée, Khorog, Tajikistan.
AKS
AKF supported Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre near Khorog, Tajikistan.
AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer
AKF supported Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre near Khorog, Tajikistan.
AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer
This page is also available inTajikistan | Early Childhood Development
Early childhood development (ECD) plays a pivotal role in the cognitive, social, emotional and physical development of young children. ECD programmes around the world have demonstrated conclusively that the early years of a child’s life provides the foundation for the development of life-long skills and all subsequent learning.
Only 15 percent of young children in Tajikistan are enrolled in pre-primary school, according to the World Bank. There is a critical need to invest in health interventions and early learning opportunities in Tajikistan, and several AKDN agencies are involved.
2,000
The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is working with 2,000 children
Building ECD Capacity
In 2009, AKF designed and piloted a community-centred ECD model to respond to the dearth of opportunities for children, especially in remote communities without access to dedicated government kindergartens. The model transforms empty school classrooms and community-designated spaces into holistic learning environments by equipping each with teaching and learning resources and basic furniture. Qualified teachers are then selected by community members. They are trained on early learning and development approaches, informed by global best practice and tailored to the context.
The model quickly gained national recognition, with endorsements from the Ministry of Education and Science and UNICEF for nationwide replication. However, only a handful of national and international organisations in the country are financing early learning, due to differing priorities, and further replication is essential. By 2020, 293 ECD centres had been established across Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO), increasing access to early learning opportunities for children aged three to six years from nine percent to 65 percent between 2009 and 2020.
Despite these significant advances, improvements in access to early learning opportunities across Tajikistan have been modest. In 2018 the Ministry of Education and Science requested AKF to support its mid-term action plan and expand its model to new regions, establishing five model ECD centres. In the Districts under Central Government Jurisdiction, need is particularly high, with only eight percent of ECD-aged children having access to early learning opportunities.
In 2020, we adopted the World Health Organization’s Nurturing Care Framework. This supports the holistic development of children from birth to age six through health, nutrition, responsive caregiving, security and safety and early learning. The framework takes a whole-of-government and a whole-of-society approach to promote and strengthen the nurturing care of young children, supporting caregivers as well.
We build the capacity of local health professionals, including primary healthcare staff, voluntary community-health promoters and ECD teachers. Implementation is in collaboration with education and health and nutrition programme platforms. For example, primary health interventions include identification and early intervention services for children at risk of delays and with disabilities.
We also strengthen the capacities of policymakers to influence the development of comprehensive policies and practices at the national and regional levels, aligned to the Nurturing Care Framework.
Nurturing Care and Education Services
We have scaled and improved our community, health facility and school-based ECD learning centre model, by rehabilitating or equipping 293 ECD centres. We also build the capacity of primary healthcare facilities to provide nurturing care to best support holistic child development from birth to six years old.
AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer
Aga Khan Early Childhood Development Resource Centre
The Aga Khan ECD Resource Centre in Khorog, operated by the Aga Khan Education Service (AKES) Tajikistan, is the national level lead site for AKDN ECD programmes in Tajikistan. In addition to providing pre-primary and parental support programmes, the centre and other AKDN agencies partner with the regional government of GBAO and community providers. Together, they support access to quality pre-primary care and education for children from birth to six years, with the ultimate aim of improving developmental outcomes for children.
The Aga Khan ECD Resource Centre provides support to AKES, Tajikistan pre-primary units, as well as ECD centres within government schools, government kindergartens, remote rural government ECD programmes and the Care for Child Development Programme. Support provided includes technical support, teacher capacity development, prenatal and postnatal maternal health programmes, learning resources and classroom renovation.
The Aga Khan ECD Resource Centre has delivered professional development for teachers at government kindergartens in GBAO. The training and provision of teaching and learning materials have contributed to improved teaching and learning approaches in the environment, curriculum and teaching pedagogy, as well as partnership with families and communities.
AKES, Tajikistan is planning to expand its provision of ECD programmes and services in GBAO over the coming years with leadership from the ECD Resource Centre in Khorog.
Aga Khan Early Childhood Development Centres
Three ECD centres (two in Khorog and one in Ishkashim) offers early learning opportunities for children aged three to six in half-day and full-day programmes. The most recent centre opened in Ishkahim in 2020 and serves as a hub for best practice within its district. The ECD centres use best practice to nurture a caring and stimulating environment for children supporting the use of their mother tongue as well as Tajik and English.
The ECD curriculum is holistic in its approach and includes developing children’s knowledge and skills in communication, language and literacy, arts, maths, science and social studies. With a focus on instruction in Tajik as the national language, children also have exposure to English. The curriculum is designed to support the transition to school where children are prepared to enter English-, Tajik- or Russian-medium primary schools.
AKES, Tajikistan ECD teachers are performing well at national-level competitions and are acknowledged for their commitment and expertise. An ECD teacher from Khorog was honoured with the state title of “Best ECD teacher 2019”, with another receiving the title of “Honoured ECD Teacher 2021”.
Engaging with parents and caregivers
AKF ensures parents and caregivers develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to support their children’s development. We teach volunteer community health promoters and health professionals to offer counselling services, while providing optimal prenatal and postnatal care for mothers. Community volunteers improve teaching and learning environments and support operations through ECD support groups.
We are fostering the active role of parents and caregivers in child development through capacity building of local health professionals, including primary healthcare staff, voluntary community health promoters and ECD teachers.
We engage parents and caregivers to provide nurturing home environments and to improve teaching and learning environments through ECD support groups and volunteering. We have been piloting “Responsible Fatherhood” programmes in remote areas of Gorno-Badakhshan. These have helped 376 men to date understand the role they play in the development of their children and become more involved in their children’s lives.
Khudonazarov Alovat
community health promoter, Sezhd
Transforming ECD Professionals
AKF professionalises the ECD workforce through capacity development of ECD teachers, mentorship to reinforce practical application of best practices and a new ECD professional training programme. We expanded the ECD model to Khatlon and in 2020, with cooperation from Oxfam International and the Islamic Bank of Development, accredited five more ECD professionals in Dahana and supported 16 more in Shamsidin Shohin. We are also continuing to build the capacity of policymakers to support the development of comprehensive ECD, based on the Nurturing Care Framework at the regional and national levels.
ECD teacher in Rudaki District