Investments in early childhood education remain worryingly small in lower-income countries, adding to concerns that 43% of people under 5 years of age globally — about 250 million children — risk missing out on their developmental potential, according to a new study by the World Bank.
Only 20% of children in low-income countries access early childhood education, as opposed to more than 80% in advanced economies. To assist countries, the World Bank said it has expanded its early education investment portfolio to more than $1 billion, up from $550 million five years ago.
Learning losses: Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, 53% of 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries were unable to understand a short written text — a rate known as “learning poverty.” That number is now likely to jump to 70%.
“We have lots of evidence that lots of things have gotten worse for young children,” said Norbert Schady, a top World Bank economist, during an event to launch the new 300-page document, which includes contributions from a range of experts on issues of language, technology, and conflict situations, among others.
Lobbying: Among government officials in key posts at finance ministries and elsewhere, the importance of preschool education is underestimated, and “we still have a lot of work … to make this case to policymakers,” Schady said.
Returns on investing in this education would be immense, he argued, with an especially large bang for the buck among the lowest-income households. Preschooling is “‘pre-distribution,’ as opposed to a redistribution,” he said.
Get in early: Amanda Devercelli, the bank’s lead for early childhood development, said that the anti-poverty lender and other institutions must further assist lower-income countries as they expand preschool programs to ensure quality and maximum learning outcomes, while also developing the needed workforce.
“We have a chance to get the system for early childhood education right in the early phase,” Devercelli said.
About the author
Shabtai Gold
Shabtai Gold is a Senior Reporter based in Washington. He covers multilateral development banks, with a focus on the World Bank, along with trends in development finance. Prior to Devex, he worked for the German Press Agency, dpa, for more than a decade, with stints in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, before relocating to Washington to cover politics and business.
