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11<br />

BOX 11.1<br />

Defining positive <strong>and</strong> stimulating home learning environments<br />

While rapid brain development takes place during the first three to four years, at this age most children lack access to organized learning opportunities outside the home.<br />

To draw attention to this issue, the proposed thematic monitoring framework includes an indicator on the ‘percentage of children under 5 years of age experiencing positive<br />

<strong>and</strong> stimulating home learning environments’.<br />

A stimulating home learning environment provides educational interactions <strong>and</strong> learning<br />

materials. UNICEF’s MICS collects comparable information on both. In relation<br />

to interactions, the surveys estimate whether adult household members have engaged<br />

children aged 36 to 59 months in reading or looking at picture books; telling stories; singing<br />

songs; going outside the home; playing; <strong>and</strong> naming, counting <strong>and</strong>/or drawing things.<br />

UNICEF reported the percentage of children with whom adult household members had<br />

engaged in at least four of these activities in the past three days over 2009–2012. While<br />

adults had engaged almost all children in at least four activities in Ukraine, that was true<br />

for only 40% of children in Ghana. The probability that the father had engaged in at least<br />

one activity was typically about 25 percentage points lower, although smaller gaps were<br />

observed in countries including Jordan, Iraq <strong>and</strong> Tunisia (Figure 11.4a). Comparisons are<br />

affected by considerable differences between countries in the extent to which children<br />

live with their biological father.<br />

In 2013, UNICEF changed its reporting, <strong>and</strong> the new way of presenting results suggests<br />

that levels of parental engagement are actually considerably lower. In Zimbabwe, 43% of<br />

children had engaged in at least four activities in the past three days with an adult<br />

household member. About 75% of 3- to 4-year-olds lived with their biological mother but<br />

just 17% had engaged in at least four activities with her. And while about 50% of children<br />

lived with their biological father, only 3% had engaged in at least four activities with him.<br />

With respect to learning materials, the MICS collects information on the presence of<br />

children’s books at home. Across 54 mostly low <strong>and</strong> middle income countries over<br />

2010–2015, 19% of households had at least 3 books <strong>and</strong> 7.5% had at least 10 books. Among<br />

the poorest 20%, less than 1% of households had at least 10 books at home (Figure 11.4b).<br />

FIGURE 11.4:<br />

Home learning environments differ substantially<br />

between countries<br />

%<br />

100<br />

80<br />

60<br />

40<br />

20<br />

0<br />

a. Percentage of children age 36 to 59 months with whom an adult household<br />

member <strong>and</strong> the father engaged in activities that promote learning <strong>and</strong> school<br />

readiness in the past three days, 2009–2012<br />

Ghana, 2011<br />

Gambia, 2010<br />

Any adult, at least four activities<br />

Father, at least one activity<br />

100<br />

b. Percentage of children under age 5 who live in homes<br />

where children’s books are present, 2010–2015<br />

3 books<br />

80<br />

10 books<br />

10 books, poorest 20%<br />

60<br />

Mali, 2015<br />

Chad, 2010<br />

Guinea-Bissau, 2014<br />

D. R. Congo, 2013–14<br />

C. A. R., 2010<br />

Congo, 2011–12<br />

Gambia, 2010<br />

Malawi, 2013–14<br />

Benin, 2014<br />

Togo, 2010<br />

Sierra Leone, 2010<br />

Zimbabwe, 2014<br />

Cameroon, 2011<br />

Swazil<strong>and</strong>, 2010<br />

Cambodia, 2014<br />

Nepal, 2014<br />

Lao PDR, 2011–12<br />

Iraq, 2011<br />

S. Tome/Principe, 2014<br />

Nigeria, 2011<br />

Ghana, 2011<br />

Bhutan, 2010<br />

%<br />

40<br />

20<br />

0<br />

Bangladesh, 2012–13<br />

Dominican Rep., 2014<br />

Algeria, 2012–13<br />

Tunisia, 2011–12<br />

El Salvador, 2014<br />

Palestine, 2014<br />

Jordan, 2012<br />

Oman, 2014<br />

Panama, 2014<br />

Suriname, 2010<br />

Viet Nam, 2013–14<br />

Kyrgyzstan, 2014<br />

Mongolia, 2013–14<br />

Costa Rica, 2011<br />

Qatar, 2014<br />

Belize, 2011<br />

Thail<strong>and</strong>, 2012–13<br />

Guyana, 2014<br />

Cuba, 2014<br />

Kazakhstan, 2010–11<br />

Jamaica, 2011<br />

TFYR Macedonia, 2011<br />

Bosnia/Herzeg., 2011–12<br />

Uruguay, 2014<br />

Argentina, 2011–12<br />

Saint Lucia, 2012<br />

Rep. Moldova, 2014<br />

Serbia, 2014<br />

Montenegro, 2013<br />

Barbados, 2014<br />

Ukraine, 2012<br />

Belarus, 2012<br />

Swazil<strong>and</strong>, 2010<br />

Bhutan, 2010<br />

Sierra Leone, 2010<br />

Mauritania, 2011<br />

Congo, 2011–12<br />

Lao PDR, 2011-12<br />

Iraq, 2011<br />

D. R. Congo, 2010<br />

Togo, 2010<br />

Cameroon, 2011<br />

Nigeria, 2011<br />

Costa Rica, 2011<br />

Chad, 2010<br />

Tunisia, 2011–12<br />

Suriname, 2010<br />

C. A. R., 2010<br />

Jordan, 2012<br />

Argentina, 2011–12<br />

Belize, 2011<br />

Jamaica, 2011<br />

DPR Korea, 2009<br />

Kazakhstan, 2010–11<br />

TFYR Macedonia, 2011<br />

Thail<strong>and</strong>, 2012<br />

Saint Lucia, 2012<br />

Bosnia/Herzeg., 2011–12<br />

Belarus, 2012<br />

Ukraine, 2012<br />

Source: MICS final reports.<br />

Sources: Bradley <strong>and</strong> Caldwell (1995); Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (2015).<br />

2016 • GLOBAL EDUCATION MONITORING REPORT 215

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