Children across the country have appealed to the government to prioritise early learning, particularly for children aged zero to eight years as outlined in the Early Childhood Care Development (ECCD) policy.
They said if the country truly wanted its children to thrive and succeed , then it had to give them the best start.
They stressed that early childhood learning was the foundation for lifelong learning and success, and therefore, called for investment in that area.
The children said this in Accra on Thursday, November 20, at the commemoration of World Children’s Day, which also convened the Seventh Sitting of the National Children’s Parliament.
Plan International Ghana partnered the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MOGCSP) to convene the parliament attended by children across the country.
The children were members of the Children’s Parliament and spoke on the theme for the day’s celebration, “My Day, My Right: Investing in early childhood care and development, a national priority,”.
A child parliamentarian, James Daniels, representing the Ahanta West Constituency, proposed that the government must ensure that early childhood educators or caregivers were equipped with all the necessary skills, training and resources to deliver effective and engaging learning experiences and for it to also provide safe and inclusive learning environments, adding that children deserved to learn in a safe, secure and eco-friendly environments or spaces.
He said the government must also invest in infrastructure to support conducive learning environments for all children, especially the most vulnerable, explaining that investing in early childhood care development was not an option but a vital part of children's life.
The Minority Leader of the Children’s Parliament, Beatrice Laari from Wale Wale Girls Model JHS, said the ECCD policy would ensure a brighter and prosperous future for children and by extension the nation.
“We join hands in urging ministers, stakeholders and citizens to ensure its full enforcement and effective implementation.
Let us, therefore, move forward, unite in purpose, resolute in action to fulfill the promise this policy holds for generations to come,” she urged.
Representing the Fanteakwa North District Constituency, child parliamentarian Kate Ofori Badu said the government must strengthen the implementation of the ECCD policy, pointing out that, that required targeted investment in community sensitisation, promotion of proper infant and young child feeding practices and to ensure that every caregiver had access to accurate information and supportive systems.
Commending the ECCD policy, Joyce Otuwa said, if well implemented, the policy would secure a better future for children.
Child parliamentarian after the other highlighted various issues the ECCD policy addressed, including drug abuse; inadequate care centres for children aged zero to three; critical responsive caregiving; access to healthcare and malnutrition, neglect and marginalisation of children with disabilities, birth registration and lack of adequate shelter.
“The ECCD policy should strengthen feeding programmes, promote good food hygiene and complement existing support like the school feeding programme, especially in deprived communities.
Lastly, access to quality healthcare remains a challenge.
The ECCD policy should, therefore, prioritise improving health infrastructure and ensuring adequate resources for child health services,” advised Ezekiel Darri Kwaku, representing Wa West Constituency.
The Country Director of Plan International Ghana, Constant Tchona, said investment in ECCD was not merely about providing service, it was making the most strategic investment a nation could make as well as building a generation of critical thinkers, innovators and leaders.
“We are breaking cycles of poverty, inequality and discrimination before they take root.
We are quite simply securing our collective future,” he said.
The Chief Director of MOGCSP, Dr Afisah Zakariah, called on all sectors, public, private, and civil society, to prioritise funding and support for early childhood initiatives adding that by investing in early childhood, they contributed to global efforts to end poverty, promote health, and ensure inclusive education.
The Deputy Country Representative of UNICEF Ghana, Hammad Masood, said the theme for the day’s celebration was a reminder that the earliest years of a child shaped everything that followed, therefore, by investing in early childhood care and development, they were safeguarding children’s future potential.
