A global call to action for early childhood

REGIONAL REPORT: Asia Regional Network for Early Childhood report
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• Prioritisation of work plan and
activities.
• Oversight of the secretariat and
its annual work plan.
• Assistance in managing and/or
coordinating the various thematic
groups and committees.
SC members will number
approximately twelve and must
be based in South or East Asia or
the Pacific. Efforts will be made
to ensure representation from all
subregions, from various professional
roles (e.g., policy maker, researcher,
practitioner), and from various types
of organisations (e.g., UN, NGO,
government, university, institute). SC
members will serve a two-year term.
Role of Secretariat
The Secretariat is considered essential
to the smooth running of ARNEC. This
is a lesson learned by other Networks,
including the Consultative Group.
The key roles of the Secretariat would
include:
• Administration of the Network.
• Website maintenance and updates.
• Coordination between various
committees, thematic groups, and
initiatives.
• Overseeing of work plan
implementation and follow-up.
Chemba Raghavan joined the Asia
EC Resource Network Secretariat
in October 2007 on a part-time
basis to support coordination and
communication of the Network.
Chemba will assist with gathering
ideas on potential member interests,
including what they would like to
contribute to and receive from the
The Network recognises that vast economic imbalances exist
between and within countries in the Asia-Pacific region, an area
characterised by ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and topographical
diversity. This diversity is reflected in wide variations in access to
early childhood services and their quality. Yet, it is felt a need
exists to share good policies and practices for the benefit of all
countries in the region.
Network; ensuring that SC members
are identified and connected; initiating
discussions on website design and
compilation of relevant documents;
and preparing for and supporting the
ARNEC SC meeting in February 2008.
On January 7, 2008, Anna Smeby
will join the ARNEC Secretariat team
on a full-time basis. In particular,
Anna will be responsible for
administering ARNEC, including
expanding membership; coordination
of the SC, preparation of the Annual
Workplan, and overseeing work plan
implementation; website maintenance
and updates; and supporting the
preparations for and processes of the
SC meeting, the Global Early Learning
and Development Standards (ELDS)
Validation workshop, and the EC
Policy Review workshop, all held in
Bangkok in February 2008.
Potential mechanism to
house the Secretariat
In the beginning and over the
short term, as the Network is being
established and additional funds and
interest raised, the Secretariat will be
based in Bangkok in one of the offices
of the initial funding agencies (UNICEF
EAPRO, UNESCO Bangkok, or Plan
International).
In the long term, a process will
be instituted to select an official
“house”—an institute or university
where the Secretariat will be based.
Proposals for hosting the Asia EC
Resource Network Secretariat will be
reviewed by a special body set up by
the SC.
Potential houses that have been
identified include the University of
Hong Kong, University of the South
Pacific, Beijing University, East China
Normal University, Regional Training
and Resource Centre (RTRC)—
Singapore, and the Korea Institute
for Child Care and Education, among
others. While the house location may
rotate over time, it is felt that it should
remain at least two to three years in
one location.
Initial activities
While not a detailed work plan, the
following activities were identified
during the meeting as areas where the
Core Group, followed by the SC and
Secretariat, should put their energies
over the following year:
• Finalise the Concept Note and make
it an official document.
• Map key players in ECD/ECCE in
Asia with whom the Concept Note
can be shared—and through whom
membership and interest can be
generated.
• Prepare a memorandum of
understanding between funding
organisations willing to provide initial
support to the Network (UNICEF,
UNESCO, PLAN, SCF) for establishing
the initial Secretariat in Bangkok.
• Initiate a coordinated review of
ECCE sections of EFA Mid-Decade
Assessment (MDA) National Reports,
COORDINATORS’ NOTEBOOK: ISSUE 29