90091  Seychelles   SABER Country Report EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT 2013    Policy Goals Status 1. Establishing an Enabling Environment Laws to promote the health and well-being of young children and pregnant  women are generally strong in Seychelles, but areas for improvement remain. The government of Seychelles has a multi-sectoral early childhood development plan for the country, though the plan focuses mainly on education.  2. Implementing Widely There is wide scope and coverage of early childhood development services  in Seychelles. Access to health and education services is generally high and equitable, although more data are needed to assess this fully.  3. Monitoring and Assuring Quality The government of Seychelles could expand the types of administrative and  survey data collected to monitor early childhood development. Standards for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) teacher qualifications, service delivery, and facilities are established, with the exception of child-minding services. Teacher qualification standards are not always enforced.           SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 This report presents an analysis of the Early Childhood Development (IECD) provides Childhood Development (ECD) programs and strategic direction and coordinates policies that affect young children in Seychelles. development in early childhood across sectors Thisreportispartofaseriesofreportsprepared in government and advises the GoS on ECD by the World Bank using the SABERͲECD policy matters and programs. While the framework 1 and includes analysis of early governmenthaslaidmanyofthefoundationsof learning, health, nutrition, and social and child a strong ECD system, some aspects of the legal protection policies and interventions in framework and policies to monitor and assure Seychelles, along with regional and qualitycouldbeimproved. internationalcomparisons. SABER–EarlyChildhoodDevelopment Seychelles is a nation consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, and lies approximately SABER–ECD collects, analyzes, and disseminates 1500 kilometers east of the African continent. comprehensive information on ECD policies Mostofthepopulationof92,000livesononeof aroundtheworld.Ineach participating country, several inner islands. There are approximately extensivemultiͲsectoralinformationiscollected 10,500 children below the age of 7. In 2011, on ECD policies and programs through a desk Seychelles scored first in Human Development review of available government documents, intheIbrahimIndexofAfricanGovernance,and data and literature, and interviews with a range fourthoverall.ItsGNPpercapitais$11,130. of ECD stakeholders, including government officials, service providers, civil society, The Government of Seychelles (GoS) runs free development partners, and scholars. The public preschools, known as crèches, and SABERͲECD framework presents a holistic and preschool enrollment is universal. Free public integrated assessment of how the overall policy healthcare is available at clinics around the environment in a country affects young country, including many essential health children’sdevelopment.Thisassessmentcanbe services for young children and pregnant used to identify how countries address the women. The newly formed Institute of Early same policy challenges related to ECD, with the ultimate goal of designing effective policies for youngchildrenandtheirfamilies. SnapshotofECDIndicatorsinSeychelleswith Seychelles Kenya Mauritius Tanzania Uganda RegionalComparison InfantMortality(deathsper1,000livebirths,2007Ͳ2011 12 55 13 50 63 average) UnderͲ5Mortality(deathsper1,000livebirths,2007Ͳ 14 85 15 76 99 2011average) MaternalMortalityRatio(deathsper100,000births, 39 490 22 450 440 2007Ͳ2011average) GrossPreprimaryEnrollmentRate(36Ͳ59months,2010) 102% 52% 96% 33% 14% BirthRegistration2000Ͳ2010 N/A 60% 100% 16% 21% Source:UNICEFCountryStatistics,2010    1 SABERͲECDisonedomainwithintheWorldBankinitiative, SystemsApproachforBetterEducationResults(SABER),whichis designedtoprovidecomparableandcomprehensiveassessments ofcountrypolicies. SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 2  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 Box1:AchecklisttoconsiderhowwellECDispromotedatthecountrylevel WhatshouldbeinplaceatthecountryleveltopromotecoordinatedandintegratedECD interventionsforyoungchildrenandtheirfamilies? Healthcare x Standardhealthscreeningsforpregnantwomen x Skilledattendantsatdelivery x Childhoodimmunizations x WellͲchildvisits Nutrition x Breastfeedingpromotion x Saltiodization x Ironfortification EarlyLearning x Parentingprograms(duringpregnancy,afterdelivery,andthroughoutearlychildhood) x HighͲqualitychildcare,especiallyforworkingparents x FreepreͲprimaryschool(preferablyatleasttwoyearswithdevelopmentallyappropriatecurriculumand classrooms,andqualityassurancemechanisms) SocialProtection x Servicesfororphansandvulnerablechildren x Policiestoprotectrightsofchildrenwithspecialneedsandpromotetheirparticipationandaccessto ECDservices x Financialtransfermechanismsorincomesupportstoreachthemostvulnerablefamilies(couldinclude cashtransfers,socialwelfare,etc.) ChildProtection x Mandatedbirthregistration x Jobprotectionandbreastfeedingbreaksfornewmothers x Specificprovisionsinjudicialsystemforyoungchildren x Guaranteedpaidparentalleaveofatleastsixmonths x Domesticviolencelawsandenforcement x Trackingofchildabuse(especiallyforyoungchildren) x Trainingforlawenforcementofficersinregardstotheparticularneedsofyoungchildren  Box1presentsanabbreviatedlistofinterventions Establishing an Enabling Environment, and policies that the SABERͲECD approach looks Implementing Widely, and Monitoring and for in countries when assessing the level of ECD Assuring Quality. For each policy goal, a series policydevelopment.Thislistisnotexhaustive,but of policy levers, upon which decisionͲmakers is meant to provide an initial checklist for can act in order to strengthen ECD are countries to consider the key policies and identified. 2 Improving ECD requires an interventionsneededacrosssectors. integrated approach to address all three goals. Three Key Policy Goals for Early ChildhoodDevelopment   As presented in Figure 1, SABERͲECD presents 2 Thesepolicygoalswereidentifiedbasedonevidencefrom three core policy goals that countries should impactevaluations,institutionalanalyses,andabenchmarking address to ensure optimal ECD outcomes: exerciseoftopͲperformingsystems.Forfurtherinformation,see “InvestingEarly:WhatPoliciesMatter”(forthcoming). SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 3  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 Figure1:ThreecoreECDpolicygoals    Table1:ECDPolicyGoalsandLevelsofDevelopment LevelofDevelopment ECDPolicy Goal  Latent  Emerging  Established  Advanced    NonͲexistentlegal Minimallegalframework; Regulationsinsome Developedlegal Establishing framework;adͲhoc someprogramswith sectors;functioninginterͲ framework;robustinterͲ anEnabling financing;lowinterͲ sustainedfinancing;some sectoralcoordination; institutionalcoordination; Environment sectoralcoordination. interͲsectoral sustainedfinancing. sustainedfinancing. coordination. Coverageexpandingbut NearͲuniversalcoverage Universalcoverage; Lowcoverage;pilot gapsremain;programs insomesectors; comprehensivestrategies Implementing programsinsomesectors; establishedinafew establishedprogramsin acrosssectors;integrated Widely highinequalityinaccess sectors;inequalityin mostsectors;low servicesforall,some andoutcomes. accessandoutcomes. inequalityinaccess. tailoredandtargeted. Informationonoutcomes Informationonoutcomes Informationonoutcomes Minimalsurveydata atnational,regionaland fromnationalto atnationallevel; Monitoring available;limited locallevels;standardsfor individuallevels; standardsforservices andAssuring standardsforprovisionof servicesexistformost standardsexistforall existinsomesectors;no Quality ECDservices;no systemtomonitor sectors;systeminplaceto sectors;systeminplaceto enforcement. regularlymonitor regularlymonitorand compliance. compliance. enforcecompliance.  Strengthening ECD policies can be viewed as a development and can range from “latent” to continuum. Different countries fall in different “advanced”withinthedifferentpolicylevers,as places along the spectrum of ECD policy describedinTable1.  SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 4  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 ¾ Policy Goal 1: Establishing an constitute a moderate public health problem. Anemia can have adverse health effects: mild EnablingEnvironment anemia may impair work productivity, and PolicyLevers:LegalFramework•InterͲ severe cases can increase risk of maternal and sectoralCoordination•Finance child mortality. The government could do more to ensure that populations at risk of anemia are An Enabling Environment is the foundation for receivingadequateiron.Ironandothernutrient the design and implementation of effective ECD consumption will likely be higher in women, policies.3An enabling environment consists of girls, and young children if these nutrients are the following: the existence of an adequate added to food staples so that they are regularly legal and regulatory framework to support ECD; consumed without having to alter diets or take coordination within sectors and across supplements. institutions to deliver services effectively; and sufficient fiscal resources with transparent and Seychelles does not have a history of iodine or efficientallocationmechanisms. vitaminAdeficienciesinthepopulation. Seychelles has adopted policies to encourage PolicyLever1.1: exclusive breastfeeding for the baby’s first six LegalFramework  months. Laws in Seychelles do not comply with theInternationalCodeofMarketingBreastMilk The legal framework comprises all of the laws Substitutes. The country is working towards andregulationsthatcanaffectthedevelopment achieving accreditation for BabyͲFriendly of young children in a country.  The laws and Hospital Initiative in order to promote regulations that impact ECD are diverse due to breastfeeding within hospitals. Despite the array of sectors which influence ECD and adopting these policies, the Ministry of Health because of the different constituencies that ECD (MoH) is accepting donations of breast milk policycanandshouldtarget,includingpregnant substitutes, thus violating the Code. The MoH’s women, young children, and parents and Infant Feeding Policy (2010) aims to support caregivers. and encourage women to breastfeed National laws do not adequately promote exclusively for the first six months, and appropriate dietary consumption by pregnant complementarilythereafter. women and children. Seychelles does not have Healthcare workers are required to educate a policy to fortify cereals or staples with iron or women on the benefits of breastfeeding within other nutrients in accordance with World the first few weeks after birth during prenatal Health Organization guidelines. 4 The country care visits. Similarly, midwives educate new also lacks a policy to encourage salt iodization. mothersthroughhomevisits. Seychelles imports much of its food, which includes many ironͲfortified products, iodized Seychelles provides two free years of preͲ salt,andothervitaminͲenrichedproducts. primary education for all children. The government operates state preschools for The anemia rates for young children and children aged 3 years and 3 months and older. pregnant women are 23.8 percent and 24.9 After two years of preschool, children attend percent, respectively. According to the World free primary school. This policy has helped to Health Organization, these levels of prevalence achieve universal enrollment in preschool.  There is no mandatory preschool attendance 3 Brinkerhoff, 2009; Britto, Yoshikawa & Boller, 2011; VargasͲ Baron,2005. policy. 4 TheWHORecommendationsonWheatandMaizeFlour Fortificationincludefortificationwithiron,folicacid,zinc,vitamin B12,andvitaminA. SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 5  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 National laws promote healthcare for young Table 2 presents information on parental leave children and pregnant women. The policiesinselectcountriesinEastAfricaandthe Constitution of Seychelles mandates free Indian Ocean region. Several countries in Africa primary healthcare for citizens. The offer longer parental leave than Seychelles. Constitution also states that the government Kenya leads the region, offering 90 days of will “take appropriate measures to prevent, maternityleaveandfivedaysofpaternityleave. treat, and control epidemic and other diseases” Due to the large informal economies in many and “take steps to reduce infant mortality and countries in the region, these policies may not promotethehealthydevelopmentofthechild.” actually apply in practice to the many parents The government offers free healthcare through working in the informal sector. Table 3 public providers located throughout the summarizes parental leave policies in several country, and conducts some health services countries classified by the World Bank as upper within preschools and primary schools. The middle income, a category that includes government gives young children a full course Seychelles. These countries offer substantially of immunizations, continuing from infancy longermaternityleavethanSeychelles. through primary school, and mandates regular wellͲchild visits. The law does not require Seychelles could consider increasing the pregnant women to be screened for HIV/AIDS amount of maternity and paternity leave to and STDs, but health workers advise all women allow parents adequate time to care for their to receive testing. Nearly all women newbornsandinfantsandtoeasethetransition (approximately 98 percent) choose to be back to the workplace. Sweden’s policy screened. Referrals and services are provided (described in Box 2) is often viewed as a model forthosewhorequirethem. due to the amount of leave, flexibility, and financial support for both mothers and fathers. National laws promote opportunities for While it may be unrealistic for Seychelles to parents to provide care to newborns and extend its parental leave policy to the scope of infants in their first year of life, but could be that offered in Sweden, it could draw on strengthened. Under the Employment Act, Sweden’s model by taking measures such as women receive 14 weeks of paid maternity extending the amount of paid and unpaid leave leaveanduptofourweeksofunpaidleave.This offered to mothers, offering paternity leave to includes two weeks prior to delivery. Section 30 fathers, or offering the option to divide family of the Seychelles Constitution concerns the leavebetweenmothersandfathers. “right of working mothers,” and states that a working mother “is afforded special protection with regard to paid leave and her conditions at work.” Women working in the public sector with children under the age of 3 are exempted from night work and shift work. There is no legal provision explicitly barring discrimination against women, pregnant women, or mothers, but the Constitution does guarantee equal protectionunderthelawforallcitizens.Parents are granted leave to care for sick children, provided a medical certificate is submitted. No paternityleaveisgranted.  SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 6  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 Table2:RegionalComparisonofParentalLeavePolicies Seychelles Kenya Mauritius Tanzania 70dayspaidmaternity 90dayspaidmaternity 60dayspaidmaternity 84daysofpaidmaternity leaveat100%wage,up leaveat100%wage,paid leaveat100%wage,paid leaveat100%wage,paid to4weeksofunpaid byemployer;5dayspaid byemployer;5dayspaid byemployer;3daysof leave;nopaidor paternityleave,paidby paternityleave,paidby paternityleave,paidby unpaidpaternityleave employer employer employer  Table3:ComparisonofParentalLeavePoliciesinSeveralUpperMiddleIncomeCountries Seychelles Chile Latvia Turkey 14weeks(70days) 126dayspaidmaternity 112daysofmaternity 112daysofmaternity paidmaternityleaveat leaveat100%wage,paid leaveat80%wage,paid leaveat66%ofwage, 100%wage,upto4 bythegovernment;5days bythegovernment;10 paidbythegovernment; weeksofunpaidleave; paidpaternityleaveat daysofpaternityleaveat plus180daysofunpaid nopaidorunpaid 100%wage,paidbythe 80%wage,paidbythe maternityleave;nopaid paternityleave employer government orunpaidpaternalleave Box2:Sweden’sParentalLeavePolicies Summary:TheSwedishParentalInsuranceBenefitistheinternationalexemplarforparentalleavepolicy. ParentalInsuranceinSwedenisdesignedtobenefitbothmenandwomen.Intotal,theleaveincludes480 daysofpaidleave,60daysofwhichareearmarkedforthemother,60daysforthefather,andtheremainder tobedividedasthecouplechooses.Itcommencesuptosevenweekspriortotheexpectedbirth,andisalso availableforparentsadoptingachild.Thecompensationratecanvary;asaminimum,however,80percentof theemployee’ssalaryisprovidedduringleave.Inaddition,eachparentislegallyentitledtotakeunpaidleave untilachildis18monthsold.Additionalbenefitsinclude:temporaryparentalleave,whichentitlesaparent 120daysofparentalleaveannuallytocareforchildrenbelowtheageof12withillnessordelay(child requiresadoctor’scertificate);apregnancybenefit,payableforamaximumof50daystoexpectantmothers whoareunabletoworkbecauseofthephysicallydemandingnatureoftheirjobs;andpensionrightsfor childcareyears,whichpartiallycompensatethelossoffutureincomeduringtheperiodwhentheparentisat homewiththechild. KeyconsiderationsforSeychelles: 9 Mandatedpaternityleaverecognizesthecrucialrolefathersplayinyoungchildren’sdevelopment 9 Adequate,sustainablefinancialsupporttosupportfamiliesduringearlystageofchild’slife 9 Additionalbenefitsforfamilieswithchildrenwhohavespecialneeds (Source:InformationonSwedishparentalleave:http://www.forsakringskassan.se/)  National laws and regulations promote child Education Act (2004) states that it is protection and care for disadvantaged government policy “to ensure that all children. The registration of children at birth is Seychellois are offered equal educational mandatory in Seychelles. The Civil Status Office opportunities in accordance with their abilities, manages registration and assigns every baby a aptitudes and needs.” Additional details about Personal Identity Number. Children with the status of children with special needs and disabilities have legal rights to ECD services in disabilities are included in this report in section education, health, and social protection. A legal PolicyLever2.3:Equity. right to nutrition services is not specified.  The SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 7  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 The Children Act regulates foster care, Key Laws and Regulations Governing ECD guardianship, adoption, child protection, children in need of services, juvenile courts, inSeychelles x UNConventionontheRightsoftheChild residential care facilities, and child support x African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of payments. Responsibility for child protection theChild services lies with several government bodies. x The Seychelles Constitution provides for free WithintheMinistryofSocialAffairs,Community healthcare, children’s rights, and compulsory DevelopmentandSports,theLegalServicesand primaryeducation Child Protection Section investigates abuse of x Education Act, 2004, gives the Department of children with a social worker, police, medical Education the authority to regulate education staff, and parents. The unit handles adoptions for children below 3 and mandates education and foster care, child custody, access, and programsforchildrenwithspecialneeds maintenance. The community section assesses x Agency for Social Protection Act, 2011, the general needs of children and families providessocialassistanceforpoorfamilies needing longͲterm assistance and counseling x Social Agency Welfare Act, 2008, provides financialassistancetothepoor programs. An InterͲAgency Committee led by x Children’s Act, 1991, provides for certain child the Social Affairs Department—comprised of protectionmeasures representatives from Social Affairs, the police, the Ministry of Health (MoH), the Ministry of Education (MoE), and the National Council for Several bodies provide financial or material Children—meetseverytwoweekstocoordinate support to needy children and families. The on child protection issues. The Ministry of Social Welfare Agency Act established the Health’s Child Protection Unit focuses on child AgencyforSocialProtectiontoprovidefinancial abuse, including coordinating screening and assistancetoindividualsbelowacertainincome examinations of victims and preparing medical threshold. Through the Seychelles Social reportsforthepolice. Security Fund, the Social Security Act mandates financial support for orphans and abandoned The National Council for Children is a semiͲ children,andmaternityandillnessbenefits.The autonomous organization that provides Seychelles Children Foundation provides social awareness programs on domestic violence, services and some material resources for child abuse, human rights, and parenting.  It neglectedandspecialneedschildren. also offers counseling and psychotherapy. Children and families are referred for Council The judicial system has special juvenile courts. services through the Social Affairs Department, Thesystem’scapacitytohandlechildprotection thepolice,healthservices,andlocalcommunity casescould beimproved byofferingtrainingfor officials. judges, lawyers, and law enforcement officers on interacting with children and creating a child  advocacybody.           SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 8  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 PolicyLever1.2: communities, quality parenting programs, and promote research. Several strategies are InterǦsectoral  identifiedtoachieveeachpriority. Coordination The Institute for Early Childhood Development Development in early childhood is a multiͲ is the institutional anchor for ECD in the dimensional process. 5 In order to meet country. In August 2012, the Seychelles Cabinet children’s diverse needs during the early years, of Ministers approved the creation of the government coordination is essential, both Institute for Early Childhood Development horizontally across different sectors as well as (IECD).TheIECD’sprimaryfunctionistoprovide vertically from the local to national levels. In coordination,leadership,andstrategic direction many countries, nonͲstate actors (either for ECD at national level, and advise domestic or international) participate in ECD government on policy issues and programs service delivery; for this reason, mechanisms to relating to ECD. It is also responsible for coordinate with nonͲstate actors are also undertaking research to inform policy essential. formulation, program and standards development,andtopromoteandadvocatethe Seychelles recently developed a multiͲsectoral importance of ECD. It is a budgetͲdependent ECD strategy, and is elaborating the autonomous entity with oversight from the implementation plan. The strategy focuses High Level ECCE Policy Committee. The IECD is mainly on Early Childhood Care and Education operational and is currently coordinating the (ECCE). The government issued the Seychelles implementation and monitoring of ECD sector Framework for Early Childhood Care and plans across the government.  This is done Education in October 2011. The Framework is a through the National Coordinating Committee, follow up to the firstͲever UNESCO World whichischairedbythechiefexecutiveofIECD. Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education and takes a broad and holistic Figure2:InterͲsectoralcoordinationforECD approach to child development from birth to below 8 years of age. The Ministers of Health, Social Affairs, Education, Community Development and Sports, and Finance, Trade and Investments have all endorsed the Framework. The Framework is based around nine principles: centrality of the child, child as a right holder, family involvement, coordination and   collaboration, longͲterm sustainability, value of The High Level ECCE Policy Committee plays play, accountability, evaluation and data an important role in overseeing the sector collection, and cultural appropriateness. The and providing strategic direction in ECD. The document identifies six priorities: realign ECCE Committee is comprised of ministers with  policies and programs, expand access, new portfolios in education, health, social financing mechanisms, improve professional services, community development, and development, mechanisms for early detection finance, as well as the Ambassador for and intervention, improved accountability and Women and Children. The Committee is service delivery, build childͲfriendly chaired by the vice president, as he has the  capacity to drive strategy collaboratively  5 Nadeauetal.,2011;UNESCOͲOREALC,2004;Neuman, 2007. across the various portfolios. While the SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 9  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 PolicyLever1.3: achieve this objective in nearͲ and mediumͲ Finance termstrategiesandplans.  Committee provides oversight, the IECD While legal frameworks and interͲsectoral advises the Committee on policy and coordination are crucial to establishing an technical issues. Each ministry has its own enabling environment for ECD, adequate ECD technical team responsible for financial investment is key to ensure that developing, implementing, and evaluating its resources are available to implement policies actionplansandotherrelatedprojects. and achieve service provision goals. InvestmentsinECDcanyieldhighpublicreturns, There are mechanisms for collaboration but are often undersupplied without between state and nonͲstate stakeholders. To government support.  Investments during the promote civil society representation and early years can yield greater returns than coordination on ECD issues, the Early Childhood equivalent investments made later in a child’s Care and Education Advisory Council— life cycle and can lead to longͲlasting comprisedofNGOrepresentatives,researchers, intergenerational benefits. 6 Not only do academics, parents, and service providers—was investmentsinECDgeneratehighandpersistent established in September 2012. It was returns, they can also enhance the effectiveness established as part of the governance and of other social investments and help administrativestructures oftheSeychellesEarly governments address multiple priorities with Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) singleinvestments. Framework. Its main purpose is to provide guidance on broad social and environmental Government finance systems do not factors that influence a child’s health, disaggregateECDexpenditures,sototalspending education,development,andwellͲbeing. in the sector is not known. Each government  ministry and agency submits a budget request to ECD interventions are not coordinated at the the Ministry of Finance (MoF), and approval is point of service delivery. Currently, SeychellessoughtfromtheNationalAssembly.Budgetitems lacks integrated service delivery guidelines to are not identified as ECD spending, so there is no way to track total government spending on ECD. steer coordination of interventions at the point of service delivery. The GoS has been The GoS could put in place budgeting and developing and implementing a system to information systems to allow for identification of ECDͲspecific spending within each ministry and Table4:Regionalcomparisonofhealthexpenditureindicators Seychelles Kenya Mauritius Tanzania Uganda OutͲofͲpocketexpenditure aspercentage 68% 77% 89% 42% 64% ofallprivatehealthexpenditure OutͲofͲpocketexpenditureaspercentage 6% 43% 52% 14% 50% oftotalhealthexpenditures Generalgovernmentexpenditureon 3% 5% 6% 6% 9% healthasapercentageofGDP Totalexpenditureonhealthpercapita (2009,adjustedforpurchasingpower USD785 USD78 USD803 USD83 USD125 parity) PercentageofroutineEPIvaccines 100% 5% 100% 18% 36% financedbygovernment Source:WHOGlobalHealthExpenditureDatabase,2010;UNICEFCountryStatistics,2010.  6 Valerio&Garcia,2012;WHO,2005;Hanushek& Kimko,2000;Hanushek&Luque,2003 SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 10  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 agency budget. As the GoS develops the which suggests that Seychellois use publicly Framework implementation plan, it will be provided health services for most of their important to know how much it currently spends healthcare. on ECD and where this money goes. Information on ECD spending is also crucial for evaluating All children can attend state crèches for free, programs. although there are subsidized payments for uniforms, meals, transportation, and some The allocation of early childhood funding does materials. Each school receives funding to help not use explicit criteria. Allocation of ECD cover some expenses for children whose families funding in the education, health, social, and cannot afford. These funds managed by the community development sectors is not based schoolareknownasthe“DedicatedFund.” on criteria or a formula. In all sectors, the GoS could use explicit criteria to determine both ThelevelofECDfinanceisadequateto meetthe national budgets and subͲnational allocations. needs of the population. In 2004, Seychelles Thiswillpromotetransparencyandefficientuse spent 9 percent of its education budget on preͲ of resources, increasing the likelihood of primary education. This proportion of education funding going to where it is most needed. In spending allocated for preͲprimary puts education, criteria could include student Seychellesamongsomeofthestrongestcountries characteristics at each institution, such as a in terms of preͲprimary education. (Sweden socioeconomic or special needs status. This spends10percentofitseducationbudgetonpreͲ would help ensure that adequate resources are primary education.) Government finance of early available for schools that may serve large childhood health appears to be adequate, with numbers of children requiring extra support. In free universal coverage of immunizations and the health sector, budget allocations to each wellͲchildvisits. health center could take into account the In addition to direct funding of government number of young children covered at each ministries and agencies, the GoS provides an center. additional mechanism for ECD funding through Ministries do not coordinate with each other the National Early Childhood Care and whendeterminingtheirECDbudgets.Atpresent, Education Trust Fund. The Fund provides government ministries do not determine their financial support to civil society and ECDbudgetsincoordinationwithotherministries. governmentͲaffiliated organizations for The GoS should consider establishing an interͲ education programs for children below 8. The ministerialbudgetcoordinationprocessonECDas recipient organization must contribute 25 agoalforthenearfuture. percent of the project amount, and the money can cover services or materials. The MoF The burden of finance for ECD is distributed appointstheTrustFund’sboard. equitably across society. Seychelles provides free primary healthcare at 17 health centers Remuneration of ECCE professionals varies, around the country. It also provides many although wages for teachers with degrees are healthserviceswithinstatecrèchesandprimary reasonable. Wages for crèche teachers are schools. This free care includes many essential determined based on qualifications and years of health services for pregnant women and young experienceratherthantheagegrouptaught.This children. The Agency for Social Protection pays meansthatacrècheteacherandaprimaryschool for children needing specialist medical services teacher with the same level of education and not available within Seychelles to travel abroad experiencehavesimilarsalarypackage. to receive the necessary care. The level of outͲ Monthlywagesforteachersatcrèchesorprimary ofͲpocket expenditures as a percentage of total schools holding certificates range from SR 5,029 health expenditures was 2 percent in 2012, SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 11  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 to SR 7,533 (US$ 360 to US$ 540). Teachers with in turn has a strong impact on their diplomasearnbetweenSR5,775andSR8,634per children’swellͲbeing). month (US$ 414 to US$ 540), and teachers with ¾ Seychelles could improve the capacity of its bachelor’sdegreesearnbetweenSR9,642andSR judicial system to protect children by 15,695 per month (US$ 692 to US$ 1,126). The offering training for judges, lawyers, and gross national income (GNI) per capita in 2011, law enforcement officers on interacting Atlas method, was US$ 11,030 (US$ 919 per with children, and creating a child advocacy month). Remuneration for fully qualified preͲ body. primaryteachersenteringthefieldiscompetitive, but those with lower qualifications earn much InterͲsectoralCoordination less. ¾ Seychelles’ current ECD strategy focuses Privateoperatorssetthesalaryforworkersatday primarily on the education sector.  A more care centers. Wages typically range from SR 3000 multiͲsectoralstrategy,incorporatinghealth to SR 5200 (US$ 270 to US$ 467) per month. (nutrition), social (child protection), and Anecdotally, many day care assistants who community development sectors could receive training leave thefield for moreattractive reduce duplication of efforts across sectors pay. High turnover is inefficient as it requires and maximize financial, human, and frequent recruitment and training of new staff. materialresources. The GoS could consider establishing minimum ¾ The Government could move forward in its wage for daycare workers to retain experienced efforts to coordinate ECD interventions at staff. There are also recruitment problems for the point of service delivery to ensure that crèche teachers. The shortage of qualified ECCE children receive integrated services. workers is discussed more in Policy Lever 3.3: Coordinationattheregionallevelandatthe CompliancewithStandards. point of service delivery can improve efficiency and costͲeffectiveness, as well as Policy Options to Strengthen the children’s health and developmental Enabling Environment for ECD in outcomes by ensuring that children receive appropriateinterventions. Seychelles Finance LegalFramework ¾ The current budget system does not ¾ The Government could consider adopting a distinguish ECD spending within the overall policy to fortify staples with iron and other budget of each ministry or agency; the nutrients,andencouragesaltiodization. Government could consider establishing ¾ The Government could consider adopting a systemtotrackECDspendinginallsectors. mandatorypreschoolattendancepolicy. ¾ The use of explicit criteria and formulas to ¾ The Government could consider extending allocate funding could promote a more maternity and paternity leave to promote efficient and equitable use of resources. labor participation and proper caregiving Criteria could include student for infants. Seychelles is wealthier than characteristics such as socioeconomic other countries in the region but has statusandspecialneedsstatus. shorter parental leave. A baby’s need for ¾ The Government could move forward with caregiving, breastfeeding, and nurturing are its plans to establish a coordinated budget greatest in the early months of life. process across ministries working on ECD. Extending parental leave could improve Coordinated budget allocation can improve babies’ health and development outcomes, efficiency by reducing overlap and helping as well as the wellͲbeing of mothers (which SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 12  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 to ensure coverage of essential equitable access across regions and interventions to all target populations. The socioeconomic status – especially reaching the High Level ECCE Policy Committee could most disadvantaged young children and their spearheadthiscoordinationprocess. families. PolicyGoal2:ImplementingWidely PolicyLever2.1: ScopeofPrograms  ¾ PolicyLevers:ScopeofPrograms• Coverage•Equity Effective ECD systems have programs established in all essential sectors and ensure ImplementingWidelyreferstothescopeofECD that every child and expecting mothers have programsavailable,theextentofcoverage(asa guaranteed access to the essential services and shareoftheeligiblepopulation),andthedegree interventions they need to live healthfully. The of equity within ECD service provision. By scope of programs assesses the extent to which definition, a focus on ECD involves (at a ECD programs across key sectors reach all minimum) interventions in health, nutrition, beneficiaries. education, and social and child protection, and should target pregnant women, young children, Figure 3 presents the key sectoral interventions and their parents and caregivers. A robust ECD needed during the course of a child’s early policy should include programs in all essential years, from conception to transition into sectors; provide comparable coverage and primaryschool. Figure3:Essentialinterventionsduringdifferentperiodsofyoungchildren'sdevelopment     SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 13  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013   Figure4:ScopeofECDinterventionsinSeychellesbysectorandtargetpopulation   ECD programs are established to target all those who may be identified as nutritionally atͲ relevant groups of beneficiaries in Seychelles. risk or deficient. The Government could expand As shown in Figure 4, Seychelles has a range of its programs in this area to include ECD programs established in all of the relevant interventions such as food fortification, food sectors: education, health, and social and supplements, and micronutrient support for community development. Interventions are young children. The GoS is considering established that serve pregnant women, young expanding antiͲobesity programs in response to children,andparentsandcaregivers. increasedobesityratesinthecountry. The scope of programs is generally adequate The GoS could also consider adding maternal butnutritionprogramscouldbeexpanded.The mental health screening and services into its GoS provides a wide scope of programs to healthcare system. Maternal depression can benefit young children and their parents. As impede bonding between babies and their shown in Figure 4, there are gaps in the scope mothers, which can have farͲreaching of nutrition programs. For example, the school consequences on children’s development. nutrition policy is mainly concerned with Depression screening could be conducted serving healthy meals in schools and duringmothers’visitstohealthcentersforwellͲ encouraging healthy eating. The unit does not child visits or for their own medical care. conduct interventions among children, even   SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 14  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 Table5:ECDProgramsandCoverageinSeychelles Scale ECDIntervention Numberofregions Universal covered(outof25) coverage EDUCATION(stimulationandearlylearning) GovernmentͲprovidedearlychildhoodcareandeducation 25 yes PrivatelyͲprovidedearlychildhoodcareandeducation 22 no HEALTH Prenatalhealthcare 25 yes Laboranddelivery 25 yes Comprehensiveimmunizationsforinfants 25 yes Childhoodwellnessandgrowthmonitoring 25 yes Capacitybuildinginterventiononqualityofchildhealthservices 25 no Maternaldepressionscreeningorservices N/A no NUTRITION Micronutrientsupportforpregnantwomen 25 no Foodsupplementsforpregnantwomen N/A no Micronutrientsupportorfoodsupplementsforyoungchildren N/A no Foodfortification N/A no Breastfeedingpromotionprograms 25 yes AntiͲobesityprogramsencouraginghealthyeating/exercise 25 no FeedingprogramsinpreͲprimaryschools 25 yes PARENTING Parentingintegratedintohealth/communityprograms 22 no Homevisitingprogramstoprovideparentingmessages 25 no ANTIͲPOVERTY CashtransfersconditionalonECDservicesorenrollment N/A no SOCIALANDCHILDPROTECTION ProgramsforOVCs 25 no Interventionsforchildrenwithspecialneeds 23 no MULTIͲSECTORALORCOMPREHENSIVE Comprehensivesystemtotrackindividualchildren’sneedsandintervene N/A no Source:SABERͲECDPolicyDataCollectionInstrumentandSABERͲECDProgramDataCollectionInstrument. *Note:Nearlyuniversalcoveragesignifiescoverageratesover95percent.  A variety of interventions are established in all coverage and reach the entire population essential areas of ECD service provision, equitably – especially the most disadvantaged includinghealth,nutrition,education,andsocial young children – so that every child and protection. Key programs are summarized in expecting mother have guaranteed access to Table 5. The table indicates that while a range essentialECDservices. of interventions exists, coverage is not always universal. Access to essential health interventions for young children seems to be high, but more PolicyLever2.2: data are needed to assess this fully. Given Coverage Seychelles’ free primary healthcare and child  health programs, access to essential healthcare interventions for young children seems to be A robust ECD policy should establish programs high in the country. Many countries use in all essential sectors, ensure high degrees of householdsurveys,suchasthe UNICEF Multiple SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 15  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 Cluster Indicator Survey (MICS) to collect data accesstohealthcarearenotavailable,asshown on access to essential health services. Because inTable6. Seychellesdoesnotparticipateinsuchasurvey, many commonly used indicators to assess  Table6:LevelofaccesstoessentialhealthservicesforyoungchildrenandpregnantwomeninIndianOcean andEastAfrica  Seychelles Kenya Mauritius Tanzania Uganda 1ͲyearͲoldchildrenimmunizedagainstDPT(corresponding 99% 83% 99% 91% 60% vaccines:DPT3ß) Childrenbelow5withdiarrheareceiveoralrehydration/ N/A 43% N/A 50% 39% continuedfeeding(2006Ͳ10) Childrenbelow5withsuspectedpneumoniareceive N/A 50% N/A N/A 47% antibiotics(2006Ͳ10) Childrenbelow5sleepingunderinsecticideͲtreatedbednet N/A 47% N/A 64% 33% (2006Ͳ10) Childrenbelow5withfever,receiveantiͲmalarialdrugs N/A 23% N/A 59% 60% (2006Ͳ10) Birthsattendedbyskilledattendants N/A 44% 98% 49% 42% Pregnantwomenreceivingantenatalcare(atleastonce) N/A 92% 99% 88% 94% HIV+pregnantwomen/exposedinfantsreceiveARVsfor N/A 71% N/A 83% 65% PMTCT Source:UNICEFCountryStatistics,2010.  Access to essential health interventions for supplementation coverage rate for young pregnant women seems to be high, but more children, the percentage of low birth weight data are needed to assess this fully. Pregnant infants, and the percentage of the population women in Seychelles likely have access to basic thatconsumesiodizedsalt. health interventions through the country’s public healthcare system and maternal health The percentage of pregnant women who have programs.Giventhatcommonlyusedindicators anemia is 25 percent, which is considered by of access are not available, it is difficult to the WHO to constitute a moderate public assess this fully. As Table 6 shows, there are health problem. The rate of children below 5 significant gaps in data availability, which limits with anemia is 24 percent, which is also a the depth of our assessment in regards to moderate public health problem according to coverage of health interventions for pregnant WHOclassifications.Thesefiguressuggestmore women and young children. Section 3.1 of this access to nutrition interventions targeted at reportdiscussesdatacollectioninmoredetail. reducing iron deficiency. According to antenatal guidelines, all pregnant women receive The level of access to essential ECD nutrition nutrition counseling or advice. Iron and folic interventions for young children and pregnant acid supplementations are provided to all women is unclear; more data are needed to pregnant women screened with anemia. assess this fully. Several indicators used in the Women with persistent anemia with SABERͲECD analysis to gauge access to essential haemoglobinaregiveninferoninfusions. ECD nutrition interventions for young children and pregnant women are unavailable, including   childhood stunting rates, the vitamin A SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 16  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013  Table7:Levelofaccesstoessentialnutritioninterventionsforyoungchildrenandpregnantwomenin IndianOceanandEastAfrica  Seychelles Kenya Mauritius Tanzania Uganda Childrenbelow5withmoderate/severestunting(2006Ͳ10) N/A 35% N/A 42% 38% VitaminAsupplementationcoverage(6Ͳ59months)(2010) N/A 62% N/A 99% N/A Infantsexclusivelybreastfeduntil6monthsofage(2010) 2% 32% N/A 50% 60% Infantswithlowbirthweight N/A 8% 14% 10% 14% Prevalenceofanemiainpregnantwomen(2010) 25% 55% 14% 58% 41% UnderͲ5childrenwithanemia 24% 69% N/A 71.8% 64.1% Populationthatconsumesiodizedsalt(2006Ͳ10) N/A 98% N/A 59% 96% Source:UNICEFCountryStatistics,WHOGlobalDatabaseonAnemia.  Table 7 shows the available data for nutrition officialenrollmentratesarehigh,anecdotally,it indicators in Seychelles and several other seems that not all children attend regularly in countries in the region. Kenya, Tanzania, and someareas. Uganda have more data available than SeychellesandMauritius. PolicyLever2.3: Equity  Access to early childhood care and education (ECCE) in Seychelles is high. Thecountry’sgross Based on the robust evidence of the positive enrollment rate in preͲprimary education in effects ECD interventions can have for children 2010 was 102 percent. Gross enrollment is from disadvantaged backgrounds, every defined as the total enrollment in a specific government should pay special attention to level of education, regardless of age, expressed equitable provision of ECD services.7One of the as a percentage of the official schoolͲage fundamental goals of any ECD policy should be population corresponding to the same level of to provide equitable opportunities to all young education in a given school year. It is widely childrenandtheirfamilies. used to show the general level of participation in a given level of education.  The net Due to limited availability of data, it is difficult enrollment rate in preͲprimary education in to assess if access to ECD services is equitable 2010 was 87 percent. Net enrollment is the across different areas of the country and numberofstudentsinthetheoreticalagegroup socioeconomic levels. The GoS does not collect for a given level of education enrolled in that data on access to ECD services at the subͲ level, expressed as a percentage of the total national level. The country’s population is very population in that age group. Net enrollment small, but it would nevertheless be helpful to indicates the extent of coverage in a given level know if, for example, children living on the two ofeducationofchildrenbelongingtotheofficial lessͲpopulous islands Praslin and La Digue age group corresponding to that level of attend school and receive health services at the education. The GoS has achieved this high same rates as children living in the more enrollmentratethrough provisionoffreepublic populous Mahé. It is difficult to assess if the preschools around the country. Preschool quality of services is consistent in areas around attendance is not mandatory, and at present town and in more remote areas. It is possible there do not seem to be moves within the government to require attendance. While  7 Engleetal,2011;Naudeauetal.,2011. SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 17  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 thatchildrenandfamilieslivinginmoreoutlying ‘inclusion’ of the learning disabled” in a areasdonotalwaysbenefitfromthesamelevel discussion of commitment to equity. While of access to services as citizens living near the these policy statements are important steps, capital. the GoS has not yet elaborated a clear plan for guaranteeing access to ECD services, including Given that the government offers free basic inclusive education, for young children with healthcare around the country, it is likely that specialneeds. children of all socioeconomic backgrounds have similar access to essential health services and Currently the government offers a number of basic infrastructure. It is not known if the services for special needs children. The Early percentage of underweight children, birth Childhood Intervention Centre, established by registration rate, or rate of births with a skilled the MoH, offers communityͲbased care for attendant present varies across poorer and children experiencing developmental, wealthier families (these are all indicators behavioral and social problems. In addition to usually assessed within a SABERͲECD Country medical care, it offers speech pathology, play Report). It is difficult to assess if the quality of therapy, referrals to Social Support for services is consistent across institutions that vulnerable children, and family counseling for tend to serve children from poorer or wealthier parentsofchildrenexperiencingdifficulties. families. Provisions for special needs students from age 3 Boys attend preschool at slightly higher rates and a half to 12 are made in the School for the than girls. While enrollment in preͲprimary ExceptionalChild on Mahéand the Centre for the education is high for both girls and boys in Exceptional Child on Praslin. Children are usually Seychelles, currently boys attend preschool at referred by pediatricians or school psychologists. slightlyhigherratesthangirls.In2010thegross The MoE has difficulty recruiting qualified staff enrollment rate in preͲprimary education for for special needs education  and may not have girls was 97 percent, and for boys it was 106 adequate equipment to meet some of the percent.  That same year, the net enrollment children’s needs. A school inspection rate was 83 percent for girls and 91 percent for recommended a number of capital boys.In2005,thegrossenrollmentrateforgirls improvements, but there is no funding available was 103 percent and 95 percent for boys; and toimplementthem. the net enrollment rate was 90 percent for girls There is also one school on Mahé with a class for and 83 percent for boys. It is not clear why girls deaf children, but it does not have programs for attended preschool at higher rates than boys in children below primary school age, and children 2005, nor why the situation reversed by 2010. not living in close proximity to the school are Further examination of this situation may be mainstreamed. warranted to ensure that the government is taking appropriate measures to encourage Policy Options to Implement ECD familiestosendtheirdaughterstopreschool. WidelyinSeychelles Seychelles does not have a clear policy ScopeofPrograms guaranteeing access to ECD services for young children with special needs. The Education Act ¾ Seychelles could expand the scope of its (2004) states that it is government policy “to nutrition programs to include offering ensure that all Seychellois are offered equal supplements and nutrition therapy for educational opportunities in accordance with youngchildren. their abilities, aptitudes, and needs.” A policy ¾ The GoS could consider offering maternal statement from the MoE includes “catering for depression screening and services, perhaps special needs/working towards greater SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 18  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 through integrating screening into existing Accurate, comprehensive and timely data healthcareservicesattendedbymothers. collection can promote more effective policyͲ making. WellͲdeveloped information systems Coverage canimprovedecisionͲmaking.Inparticular,data ¾ Access to early childhood education is high, can inform policy choices regarding the volume but it is difficult to fully assess the coverage and allocation of public financing, staff of ECD programs and services in health and recruitment and training, program quality, nutrition. The anemia rate among pregnant adherence to standards, and efforts to target women is 25 percent, which may indicate a childrenmostinneed. needformoreaccesstonutritionprograms. Data availability on ECD access and outcomes One way to address the anemia problem is islimited.Table8presentssomeofthetypesof throughfortificationoffoodstaples. indicators a country can collect to assess access Equity to ECD services and outcomes. Some pieces of administrative data for Seychelles are available; ¾ The GoS could examine the possible thesefiguresreflecttotaluptakeofservicesand reasons for gender disparity in preͲprimary are gathered through a census. Available data enrollment. include the average number of students per ¾ The GoS could consider strengthening its teacher, the number of preschool children ability to offer access to high quality ECD receiving nutrition education, and the number services for special needs children, perhaps of children receiving wellͲchild visits. The GoS by developing a clear policy and plan for has available approximate percentages of action. It could consider integrating special special needs children who receive needs education into teacher training interventions but not the total number of programs, ensuring adequate funding for special needs children receiving the special needs services, and working to interventions.TheGoScouldconsidercollecting improve quality of existing programs, additional important administrative indicators, particularlyinremoteareas. suchasthe numberofchildrenenrolledinECCE by subͲregion, and ECCE spending in the health Policy Goal 3: Monitoring and andeducationsectors. AssuringQuality The government could also collect and/or make ¾ PolicyLevers:DataAvailability• available survey data, which are based on QualityStandards•Compliancewith sampling a specific population. The UNICEF Standards Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) is one example of a survey data collection that could Monitoring and Assuring Quality refers to the yield useful information on levels of access to existenceofinformationsystemstomonitoraccess key ECD services. Several important health and to ECD services and outcomes across children, nutrition indicators are not available, including standards for ECD services and systems to monitor the percentage of pregnant women who attend and enforce compliance with those standards. four prenatal visits, ECCE enrollment by Ensuring the quality of ECD interventions is vital children’ssocioeconomicstatus,thepercentage because evidence has shown that unless programs of the population consuming iodized salt, and are of high quality, the impact on children can be the vitamin A supplementation rate among negligible,orevendetrimental. young children. The vitamin A supplementation rate, for example, could be determined through PolicyLever3.1: a survey of a representative sample of the DataAvailability  country’syoungchildren. SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 19  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 Table8:AvailabilityofdatatomonitorECDinSeychelles AdministrativeData Indicator Tracked SpecialneedschildrenenrolledinECCE(numberof) X ChildrenattendingwellͲchildvisits(numberof) 9 Childrenbenefittingfrompublicnutritioninterventions(numberof) 9 Womenreceivingprenatalnutritioninterventions(numberof) X ChildrenenrolledinECCEbysubͲnationalregion(numberof) X AverageperstudentͲtoͲteacherratioinpublicECCE 9 IsECCEspendingineducationsectordifferentiatedwithineducationbudget? X IsECDspendinginhealthsectordifferentiatedwithinhealthbudget? X SurveyData Indicator Tracked Populationconsumingiodizedsalt(%) X VitaminASupplementationrateforchildren6Ͳ59months(%) X Anemiaprevalenceamongstpregnantwomen(%) 9 Childrenbelowtheageof5registeredatbirth(%) X ChildrenimmunizedagainstDPT3atage12months(%) 9 Pregnantwomenwhoattendfourantenatalvisits(%) X ChildrenenrolledinECCEbysocioeconomicstatus(%) X   These types of data could provide the existing wellͲchild visits, the school health government with important tools to evaluate program, and the Denver Developmental the effectiveness of policies and programs. For Screening test administered to all children. example, the country requires every child to be Compiling these data can help the Government registered at birth, but the birth registration establish a baseline, identify issues that need rate is not known, so it is difficult to know how targeting, evaluate the effectiveness of successfullythepolicyisbeingimplemented. interventions,andinformpolicydecisions. The GoS collects data on multiple domains of Through its various health and developmental childdevelopment,butdoesnotcompilethese assessments, the GoS likely has a sizable body data for monitoring and analysis, nor does it of information on individual children’s track individual child outcomes in an development outcomes. It appears that these integrated manner. Currently the GoS collects outcomesarenot compiledinaway thatallows data on young children’s linguistic development for a holistic assessment of the child’s and early literacy skills, but no central development. For example, a child’s outcomes government body gathers data on cognitive, may be kept in separate files in separate offices physical, and socioͲemotional development. for his or her growth monitoring, TheGoScouldconsidercollectingthesetypesof developmental assessments, etc. It may also be data, and in fact, it may already have the that outcomes gathered during school health mechanisms in place for a central government checkups are not shared with the children’s body to compile this. For example, this teachers, even when that information could be information is likely gathered through the usefultothem. SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 20  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 Data are collected to differentiate access and centered and emphasizes preͲnumeracy and outcomes by gender, but not by other group preͲliteracy skills, language, socialization, and status. The GoS collects data to differentiate life skills. It was issued in 1995, so updates are ECD access and outcomes among young likely warranted. Within recent years, the GoS children by gender. Data are not collected on has developed and implemented a children’s socioeconomic status, special needs comprehensive reading program for early status, geographic location (town areas versus childhood education, known as the ALAP remote areas), or children’s home language (“Learn to Read with the Butterfly”) Program. It environment. The vast majority of Seychellois aims to enhance the efficiency and children speak Creole as their mother tongue, effectiveness of reading and literacy so data on the home language environment development in the mother tongue at early may not be very useful, but data on the other childhood stage in Seychelles. It is being taught group statuses could be helpful to gauge if all at Crèche Year 2 and Primary Years 1 and 2 Seychellois children have similar access and classrooms. This firstͲofͲitsͲkind project gained outcomes. added emphasis and budgetary support in the contextoftheEducationReform2009. Seychelles is comprised of several different  ethnic groups, and there is a high degree of Three major components of the ALAP Project income inequality in the country, so it would be were (1) to develop and produce illustrative important to know if children from all curriculum reading materials (including a socioeconomic backgrounds are reached by the teacher’s manual), (2) training of early Government’s ECD policies and programs. Data childhood teachers and coordinators, and (3) collection could also reveal if there are any implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of differences between children living in both theprogram.Inaddition,thisinnovativeproject populated and remote areas. Collecting and has developed within an evaluation and analyzing data including children’s background research framework to establish national characteristics could help the GoS identify any standards in early reading, assess learning groupsofchildreninneedofextrahelp. outcomes, and monitor the teaching and learning of early reading. All Crèche Year 2, PolicyLever3.2: Primary 1 and Primary 2 children take a QualityStandards  cumulative test at the end of the year to measure progress and diagnose any language Ensuring quality ECD service provision is and literacy difficulties, and the test also essential. A focus on access – without a facilitates monitoring and evaluation of the commensurate focus on ensuring quality – program. Education officers from the Early jeopardizes the very benefits that policymakers Childhood Section at the MoE conduct regular hope children will gain through ECD classroomvisitstomonitorimplementationand interventions.  The quality of ECD programs is supportteachers. directly related to better cognitive and social  developmentinchildren.8 Apart from its effectiveness measured in terms of pupil learning outcomes and achievement, ECCE curricula and standards are established and instructional practices, the ALAP program for crèches and primary schools, but could be provided an impetus for early childhood strengthened for day care centers and childͲ education and development, and more minding services. The state crèche curriculum, specifically helped to pave the way for early known as “Lakres dan Sesel,” is learnerͲ intervention, to improve the quality of reading  instruction, and to build a strong foundation for 8 Taylor&Bennett,2008;Bryceetal,2003;Naudeauetal,2011; Victoriaetal,2003. formal learning. The ALAP reading program was SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 21  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 also a finalist in the Commonwealth Education ECCE educator training courses are primarily GoodPracticeAwards2012. offered by government institutions. The University of Seychelles offers a postͲsecondary Crèche years and Primary 1 and 2 years are fourͲyear course leading to a diploma in taught in Creole (as the medium of instruction), education. The MoE offers a threeͲmonth, partͲ the mother tongue of the majority of time course leading to a certificate for day care Seychellois. English is gradually introduced as operators; day care assistants undergo basic inͲ the language of instruction in primary school, servicetraining. and French is taught as a second language throughouttheeducationsystem. The MoE’s School Leadership and Management Handbook requires all schools to implement The MoE’s Education for a Learning Society regular professional development trainings, document articulates goals of nonͲformal early either in the school or off site.  Each school is childhood education, defined as education for supposed to have a Professional Development children from birth to 3 and a half. Under these Facilitator (PDF), who also serves as a member goals, young children should develop social, of the teaching staff, to coordinate these cognitive, and motor skills; interact with the activities. The inͲservice PD sessions apply to environment; and engage in creative play and early childhood educators, namely, crèches, expression. MoE’s Day Care Centres: Policy, Primary1,andPrimary2. Strategy, Standards/Guidance document cites these goals but does not provide any details on There are established service delivery and implementation, nor does it reference a infrastructurestandardsforECCEinSeychelles, curriculum. It is not clear that there is a with the exception of childͲminding services. curriculum or early learning standards available TheMoErequiresateacherͲtoͲpupilratioofnot fordaycarecentersorchildͲminderstouse. greater than 1:30 in primary years 1 and 2. The standard maximum teacherͲtoͲpupil ratio in There are training and certification crèches is 1:20. This does not include teacher requirements for ECCE caregivers and assistants working in some crèche and primary educators, with the exception of childͲ classrooms, which would make the adultͲtoͲ minders. The MoE requires that all ECCE pupil ratio somewhat lower. Those ratios are caregivers and educators working at day care similar to standards in many other countries centers, crèches, and primary schools with strong ECCE systems. It is not clear what institutions are required to have some level of the required ratio is at day care centers. specialized training. Workers providing childͲ Crèches and primary schools are open from minding services (homeͲbased care) are not 7:30a.m.Ͳ2:30p.m.fivedaysaweek,withafterͲ requiredtoholdanyqualifications. school supervision provided for free.  Day care centersaretypicallyopenforlongerhours. Day care operators are required to complete training in ECD and day care management; School building plans must be approved by the educators at crèches are required to hold a National Planning Authority, which specifies postͲsecondarydiplomaandacertificatefroma building materials, roof thickness, and window specialized ECD course; and primary school placement. The Regulations for Provision of teachers must hold a postͲsecondary diploma Physical Facilities for Education Institutions and a certificate from a specialized course. (2006) sets minimum guidelines for education Table 9 shows requirements for preͲprimary facilities. The document deals primarily with teachers in countries in the Indian Ocean and spacerequirements. EastAfricaforcomparison.  SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 22  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 Table9:RequirementsforpreͲprimaryteachersinIndianOceanandEastAfrica  Seychelles Mauritius Tanzania Caregiversforchildrenunder AllpreͲprimaryteachersmust StatepreͲprimaryteachersmust 3receiveECDtraining.PreͲ completesecondaryschool complete2yearsofpreͲservice primaryandprimary andaspecializedECDcourse. trainingaftercompleting PreͲService teachersmustcompletean EveryECCEcenterisrequired secondaryschool;standardsfor ISCED4Aequivalentof tohaveatleastonestaff nonͲstatepreͲprimaryteachers tertiaryeducationanda memberwithafullteacher’s arelessstringent. certificateinECD. diploma. MandatoryregularinͲservice MandatoryregularinͲservice Mandatoryannual40hoursinͲ InͲService training. training. servicetrainingforeducatorsof children2andolder. UniversityofSeychelles, MauritiusInstitutefor AghaKhanUniversity,Teacher MinistryofEducation. Education,MauritiusCollege ResourceCentres,teachers Institutions oftheAir,privateinstitutions. colleges,UniversityofDares Salaam,DodomaUniversity.  ChildͲmindingserviceprovidersareunregulated Operators must register with the Ministry and in terms of delivery and infrastructure receive a Certificate of Operation which is standards. The MoH has a draft Guidelines for renewed every year pending compliance with Cottage Industry, which includes childͲminding standards and passing an inspection. The services,butthishasnotbeenfullyadopted. standards cover facilities, curriculum, health and safety, and also include recommendations There are established registration and on fees, staff qualifications, administration, and accreditation procedures for ECCE facilities, professional development. Ministry officials except for childͲminding services. The MoE visit most day cares at least twice per year in operates 29 out of the 32 crèches in the addition to the yearly registration inspection. In country. Most of these are attached to state 2012, there were 22 registered day care primary schools and adhere to the facilities centers, with a total of 740 children. Twelve of standards that apply to all schools in the the centers are state owned but leased out to country. The MoE also operates 26 state privateoperators;therestareprivatelyowned. primary schools and there are four private primary schools. Private crèches and private There also a number of private childͲminding primary schools must meet certain servicesrunbyindividualswithintheirhomesin infrastructure and service standards, although the community. These are not required to theregistrationproceduresarenotavailable. register with the government and are not regulatedbyanygovernmentbody. The MoE sets standards for day care centers, described in the Day Care Centres—Policy Strategy, and Standards/Regulations, Guidance Monitoring and Evaluation Guidelines of 2005. SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 23  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 PolicyLever3.3: The problem of unqualified staff seems to be Compliancewith particularly acute in day care centers. Day care  Standards centers’ annual Certificate of Operations may     not be renewed if they do not comply with Establishing standards is essential to providing teacher training standards; in practice, they quality ECD services and to promoting the oftencontinuetooperate. healthy development of children. Once standards have been established, it is critical ECCE center compliance with some service that mechanisms are put in place to ensure delivery and infrastructure standards could be compliancewithstandards. improved and monitoring made more regular. The average caregiverͲtoͲchild ratio in ECCE Not all ECCE professionals meet qualifications centers for children below 18 months is 1:10. standards. Among primary school teachers, 23 For children between 18 and 39 months, the percent have a Diploma Part 1, 42 percent have average caregiverͲtoͲchild ratio is 1:18. The a Diploma Part 2, 25 percent hold a certificate, average ratio is 1:20 for children older than 40 and8percentareuntrained.Thismeansthat33 months. All ECCE centers seem to comply with percent of primary school teachers have not the minimum number of operating hours, and completed the requirement to hold both a manyofferafterͲhourscare. diplomaandacertificate. Monitoring school facilities for infrastructure Amongstate crèche teachers,21percent holda could be improved. The GoS inspects facilities diploma, 50 percent hold a certificate level immediately after construction for compliance qualification, and 26 percent are untrained. with standards, but after that inspections are Approximately threeͲquarters of crèche irregular. There is currently not enough staff to teachers do not meet the requirement to hold undertake regular inspections of school both a diploma and a certificate. It is not clear buildings. howmanydaycarecenterstaffhavecompleted specialized training, but it seems that many All crèches and primary schools meet have had no training at all. Among childͲ infrastructure requirements, but they may not minders, the proportion of caregivers with any all offer appropriate or high quality physical trainingisunknownandlikelylow. environments for their pupils. For example, some crèches attached to primary schools may Given these numbers, it is clear that not have appropriate playgrounds, furniture, or enforcementofteachertrainingrequirementsis facilities for young children. Currently lacking. The MoE is aware of this and is in the government standards do not specify important process of establishing the Teacher Council to physical aspects of an ECCE facility, such as registercrècheandprimaryschoolteachersand equipment and the condition of the indoor and promote their professional development. The outdoor facilities. The GoS could consider MoE plans to address the problem of developing additional infrastructure standards unqualified teachers working in the system specific to ECCE facilities to ensure safety, through upgrading training programs leading to quality, and age appropriateness, and provide a certificate. The training will be offered supportforproviderstomeetstandards. through the Teacher Training Institution. With a teacher shortage in the country, it is not practical to remove unqualified teachers from schools. SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 24  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 Policy Options to Monitor and Assure ECD minders lack basic knowledge of critical QualityinSeychelles topics such as child development, health, hygiene and sanitation, nutrition, and how DataAvailability to create a safe environment. This lack of knowledge can be detrimental to young ¾ Data collection and monitoring are children’s development, and could even important features of a strong ECD system, endanger their safety. The GoS could and are necessary for identifying needs and consider adopting standards to ensure that assessing programs. Seychelles could childͲminding facilities are adequate to expand the survey data and administrative ensure children’s safety and wellͲbeing. It data it collects to include important could also consider requiring childͲminding indicators such as the number of children services to register with the government. It enrolled in ECCE by subͲregion, ECCE is important for any effort to increase spending in the health and education qualityandadherencetostandardsbedone sectors, and the percentage of pregnant in such a way as to encourage and support women who attend at least four prenatal private providers to meet standards, rather visits. The GoS could consider participating than imposing overly punitive or rigid in the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey standards that will discourage registration (MICS), which helps gauge access to and andformalparticipationinthesystem. equityinhealthandeducation. ¾ The GoS could consider developing a CompliancewithStandards mechanism to track individual development in all domains from birth into childhood. ¾ The GoS could examine why ECCE caregiver This could facilitate early identification and and teacher training standards are interventions for any developmental frequently not met. Is the problem a lack of difficulties, and help caregivers and service accessible and affordable training courses, providers tailor their actions according to lack of incentives, and/or a failure to individual children’s needs. Through monitor for compliance? The GoS could compiling existing data, the GoS could develop policies and programs to address consider undertaking regular analysis of the underlying reasons for the shortage of outcomes of all young children in the qualified teachers. It could also ensure country,whichcouldhelpidentifystrengths there are ongoing professional and weaknesses in the system and inform development opportunities for all ECCE policy. workers.  ¾ The average caregiverͲtoͲchild ratio for QualityStandards children below 18 months in day care centers is 1:10. This is very high for children ¾ The GoS could consider developing of that age, and could be detrimental to recommendations for learning goals, children’ssafetyand development. The GoS activities, and materials for use by staff at could consider taking steps to address this day care centers or childͲminding problem, which is likely related to the establishments to ensure that care broader issue of a shortage of qualified promoteschildren’sdevelopment. ECCE workers. The average ratio for ¾ The MoE could consider developing children between 18 and 39 months is also standards and a training curriculum for very high, and could be lowered childͲminders. It may be that some childͲ substantially.  SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 25  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 ¾ The GoS could increase monitoring of ComparingOfficialPolicieswithOutcomes schools for compliance with infrastructure and service delivery standards. It could also The existence of laws and policies alone does consider expanding existing standards to not always guarantee a given correlation with ensure that they encompass all critical desired ECD outcomes. In many countries, aspects of the physical environment, rather policies on paper and the reality of access and than focusing only on space requirements service delivery on the ground are not aligned. andbuildingcodes. Table 10 compares several ECD policies with outcomesinSeychelles.  Table10:ComparingECDpolicieswithoutcomesinSeychelles Policy Outcomes LawscomplywiththeInternationalCodeof Rateofexclusivebreastfeedinguntil6 MarketingofBreastMilkSubstitutes months:  2% Comprehensiveimmunizationpolicy mandatesacompletecourseofchildhood ChildrenwithDPT(12Ͳ23months): immunizations 99% MandatorybirthregistrationwiththeCivil Birthregistrationrate: StatusOffice unknown PreͲprimaryeducationisfree GrosspreͲprimaryschoolenrollment (3Ͳ5years): 102%    SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 26  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013 Table11:ComparingpolicyintentwithECDoutcomesinSeychellesandselectAfricancountries  Seychelles Kenya Mauritius Tanzania SaltIodization SaltIodizationPolicy none Mandatory none Mandatory Datanot PopulationConsumingIodizedSalt 98% Datanotavailable 59% available AppropriateInfantFeedingandBreastfeedingPromotion Compliance,CodeofMarketingof Someprovisions NotLaw Notlaw Law BreastMilkSubstitutes law ExclusiveBreastfeedinguntil 2% 32% Datanotavailable 60% 6Months PreprimaryEducation Notcompulsory; Notcompulsory;state Notcompulsory;free Notcompulsory; government andnonͲstateprovision; 2yearsstate PreͲprimarySchoolPolicy free2yearsstate financessome governmentfinances provisionbutuser provision costs somecosts feesarecommon PreͲprimarySchoolEnrollmentRate 102% 42% 96% 33% BirthRegistration BirthRegistrationPolicy Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory Datanot BirthRegistrationRate 60% 100% 22% available  TheGoShasbeenverysuccessfulinimplementing mandates preͲprimary school, but Seychelles and its policy mandating immunizations for young Mauritius have universal enrollment. Data for children, resulting in full coverage throughout the Seychelles and Mauritius on the population country. Despite the lack of a policy mandating consuming iodized salt and exclusive attendance, Seychelles has achieved universal breastfeedinguntil6monthsarenotavailable. preschool enrollment through provision of public Preliminary Benchmarking and International preschools around the country. Its policies to promote breastfeeding have not been very ComparisonofECDinSeychelles effective, at least in achieving exclusive Table 12 presents the classification of ECD breastfeeding rates at the age of 6 months. It is policy in Seychelles within each of the nine not clear how effective the mandatory birth policy levers and three policy goals. For the registration policy is. Anecdotally, compliance Establishing an Enabling Environment policy seems to be high, but the rate of compliance is goal, Seychelles’ level of development is notknown. classified as “Established.” For the Table 11 summarizes key policy provisions in the Implementing Widely policy goal, Seychelles’ Indian Ocean region and East Africa, along with level of development is classified as related outcomes. All countries have mandatory “Established” (although multiples pieces of data birth registration policies, but Tanzania struggles typically used in the calculation were to implement the policy, and implementation in unavailable). For the Monitoring and Assuring Seychelles is not known. None of these countries Quality policy goal, Seychelles’ level of developmentisclassifiedas“Established.” SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 27  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013  Table12:BenchmarkingEarlyChildhoodDevelopmentPolicyinSeychelles Levelof ECDPolicyGoal LevelofDevelopment PolicyLever Development LegalFramework EstablishinganEnabling  InterͲsectoralCoordination Environment   Finance  ScopeofPrograms  ImplementingWidely  Coverage  Equity  DataAvailability  MonitoringandAssuring QualityStandards  Quality  CompliancewithStandards  Latent Emerging Established Advanced Legend:     Table13:InternationalClassificationandComparisonofECDSystems LevelofDevelopment ECDPolicyGoal PolicyLever Seychelles Australia Chile Sweden Turkey Vanuatu LegalFramework Establishingan       Enabling Coordination       Environment Finance       ScopeofPrograms       Implementing Coverage Widely       Equity       DataAvailability       Monitoringand QualityStandards AssuringQuality       CompliancewithStandards       Latent Emerging Established Advanced Legend:   Table 13 presents the status of ECD policy ECD policies and achieves a benchmarking of developmentinSeychellesalongsideaselection “Advanced” in all nine policy levers. Additional of OECD countries and another small island regional comparisons of ECD policy goals and nation, Vanuatu. Sweden is home to one of the leversareforthcoming. world’s most comprehensive and developed SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 28  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013  Conclusion Seychelles has implemented many important programs The SABERͲECD initiative is designed to enable ECD and policies in the area of early childhood development, policymakers and development partners identify includinguniversalpreschoolenrollmentandfreeprimary opportunities for further development of effective healthcare. It is currently working on improving ECD systems. The SABERͲECD classification system intersectoral coordination. The GoS can build on these does not rank countries according to any overall achievements by increasing the types of data and scoring; rather, it is intended to share information on information it gathers and analyzes. The country has how different ECD systems address the same policy established standards for ECCE, but could develop more challenges.ThisCountryReportpresentsaframework standards in some areas (such as childͲminding services) to compare Seychelles’ ECD system with other and work to improve compliance with existing standards countries in the region and internationally. Each of (such as teacher qualifications). Table 14 offers policy theninepolicyleversareexaminedindetailandsome recommendations and options that the GoS could policy options are identified to strengthen ECD are considertostrengthenECD. offered.   SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 29  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013   Table14:SummaryofpolicyoptionstoimproveECDinSeychelles Policy PolicyOptionsandRecommendations Dimension x Adoptapolicytofortifystapleswithironandothernutrients,andapolicytoiodizesalt. x Adoptamandatorypreschoolattendancepolicy. x Extendpaidandunpaidmaternityandpaternityleave. x Trainjudges,lawyers,andlawenforcementofficersoninteractingwithchildren,andcreateachild Establishingan advocacybody. Enabling x Ensurethathealth,nutrition,andsocialprotectionareincorporatedintothecountry’sECD Environment implementationplan. x Coordinateinterventionsatthepointofservicedelivery. x EstablishsystemstoidentifyandtrackECDspendingwithingovernmentbudget(s). x EstablishacoordinatedbudgetprocessacrossministriesworkingonECD. x DevelopaformulausingexplicitcriteriatodetermineECDfundingallocations. x Addmaternaldepressionscreeningandservicestoprogramstargetingparents. Implementing x IdentifyreasonsforgenderdisparityinpreͲprimaryenrollmentanddevelopplantoaddressthem. Widely x DevelopaclearpolicyandimplementationplantomakeECDservicesaccessibletospecialneeds children. x IncreasethetypesofadministrativeandsurveydatacollectedtoincludeimportantECDindicators, suchasthepercentageofpregnantwomenwhoattendfourprenatalvisits,childstuntingrates,and ratesofexclusivebreastfeeding;considerparticipatingintheMultipleIndicatorClusterSurvey(MICS). x Developasystemtotrackandmonitorindividualchildren’sdevelopmentoutcomes.Compileand analyzeexistingdatasourcesonoutcomesforallyoungchildreninthecountry. x DevelopsuggestedcurriculafordaycarecentersandchildͲmindingservices.Developandimplement qualificationsstandardsforchildͲmindersandregulationsoninfrastructureandservicedeliveryat Monitoringand childͲmindingfacilities. AssuringQuality x ExaminewhyECCEcaregiverandteacherqualificationstandardsareoftennotmet,andtakemeasures toaddresstheseissues. x ReducetheaveragecaregiverͲtoͲchildratioforchildrenbelow18monthsatdaycarecentersfrom 1:10.Bestpracticeisapproximately1:3Ͳ4.Reducetheratioforchildrenbetween18and39months. Bestpracticeforthatagegroupisapproximately1:6Ͳ8. x IncreasemonitoringofECCEfacilitiesforcompliancewithinfrastructureandservicedelivery standards.Ensurethatstandardsincludeallcriticalcomponentsofasafeandhighqualityphysical environmentforyoungchildren. SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 30  SEYCHELLESۣEARLYCHILDHOODDEVELOPMENT SABERCOUNTRYREPORT|2013    www.worldbank.org/education/saber     The Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) initiative produces comparative data and knowledge on education policies and institutions, with the aim of helping countries systematically strengthen their education systems. SABER evaluates the quality of education policies against evidence-based global standards, using new diagnostic tools and detailed policy data. The SABER country reports give all parties with a stake in educational results—from administrators, teachers, and parents to policymakers and business people—an accessible, objective snapshot showing how well the policies of their country's education system are oriented toward ensuring that all children and youth learn. This report focuses specifically on policies in the area of Early Childhood Development. This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions.  The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the partofTheWorldBankconcerningthelegalstatusofanyterritoryortheendorsementoracceptanceofsuchboundaries. THEWORLDBANK SYSTEMSAPPROACHFORBETTEREDUCATIONRESULTS 31