ABSTRACT
Research has shown that significant investment in Early Childhood Development (ECD) is a strategic avenue for national development due to benefits that accrue from it. Studies from other countries with different social, economic and political environment from Uganda have identified policy and contextual determinants as crucial for investment in ECD, while those specific to Uganda are yet to be determined. The purpose of this study was to establish the level of investment in ECD and identify the contextual and policy determinants for such investment. The objectives included establishing level of investment in ECD, and establishing the relationship between policy and contextual determinants and investment in ECD. Contemporary conflict theory, which emphasizes existence of opposing forces in groups and social structures with different motives and expectations, was used to explain investment determinants. The study used Ex Post Facto research design. Level of investment was the dependent variable, while contextual and policy determinants were independent variables. The study was carried out in 40 out of 77 districts in Uganda that were stratified and later randomly selected. A total of 90 respondents including 10 ECD policy makers, 40 Education Officers, and 40 ECD focal persons were purposively sampled. Questionnaires and document review were used to collect data. Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficients (rho) and Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) were used to establish relationships, while Descriptive Analysis was used for qualitative data. Simple Linear Regression Analysis was employed to determine the best predictor for investment. Findings indicate an investment percentage for ECD of 7.94% of the education expenditure at national level and 25.72% at the local level. There was significant relationship between total policy determinants and investment in ECD (rho (9) = .861, p = .001) at the national but not at the local level (r
(79) =.-132, p = .242). Total contextual determinants had a significant relationship with investment in ECD both at national (rho (9) = .844, p = .002) and at local level (r (79) = .597, p < .001). It was predicted that if knowledge of Benefits of Investment in ECD (KBI) variable remained constant at the local level, investment in ECD would reduce by UGX 164.490 million annually. The conclusion was that investment in ECD in Uganda is still lower than internationally recommended levels. If knowledge levels stay the same, the trend of investment in ECD may continue on the decline. We may also see more grade repetition of children in the primary schools, increased drop out rates, failed development of children and low attainment of both MDGs and EFA. It was recommended that more effort be put to sensitize leaders at all levels on the benefits of significant investments in ECD so as to prompt them into actions culminating in increased investment levels in ECD that matches internationally agreed proportions.
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
                       Background to the Study
Significant investment in Early Childhood Development (ECD) yields extraordinary returns that far exceeds the returns on most investments either private or public (Rolnick & Grunewald, 2003). This is because investment in ECD is investment in human capital (Heckman & Masterov, 2004), which breeds overall economic success for families, communities and the nation (Calman & Tarr-Whelan, 2005). At the macro level, investment in ECD pays back 87% in terms of higher efficiency in primary education (Jaramillo & Mingat, 2006). It has also been noted that investments that increase the average number of years children spend in education by one year raise a country’s GDP by between 3 – 6% (OECD, 2005).
Within the education sector, it has been proved that significant investment in ECD results into greater social cohesion (Young, 2000), better academic performance of students (Evans, Myers & Ilfeld, 2000), and increased capacity of children to adopt new technologies (Reynolds, 2001). These benefits, therefore, warrant priority for investment in ECD now to reduce later expenditures that will be needed to compensate for earlier disadvantages in several sectors (Heckman & Masterov, 2004; Lombardi, 2008). Failure by any nation to invest in ECD in the education sector will lead to continued human wastage in the form of failed development, grade repetition and stunted growth of children (Evans et al., 2000).
Investment in ECD incorporates investments in five sectors including health, nutrition, education, protection, and sanitation (Vargas-Barón, 2008). This therefore means that effective and efficient investment in ECD demands an approach which is multi-sectoral, and embraces the notion of partnership, while reconfiguring the traditional sector boundaries to form a cohesive support system for children and families (Bertram & Pascal, 2000).
Investment is the commitment of capital to purchase financial instruments or other assets (ECD programmes, services, human and material resources) in order to gain profitable returns in form of interest, income, or (output from better future adults) (Anderson, Renzio & Levy, 2006). Investment involves the choice made by an individual or an organization that has certain levels of risk and provides the possibility of generating returns over a period of time (Wikipedia, 2010). Benefits that accrue from ECD only come after long term commitment of public resources (Calman & Tarr-Whelan, 2005). This long term commitment of resources to ECD, therefore, is an investment for the future, which may not necessarily be possible with short term financing (Heckman & Masterov, 2004).
As different countries consider investment in ECD, it has been noted that investment in ECD may be in the form of finance, human or time resources (McREL, 2003; Miles & Darling-Hammond, 1998; Walter, 2001). This is because financial investment in its constituent proportions usually forms a backbone of other investments.
Investment in ECD may be either private or public. However, it has been noted that because of the complex nature of investment in ECD across a range of sectors, and with minimal short term returns, public investment is preferred to take the lead as opposed to private investment (Meier, 2008). Public investment in this study refers to the use of government funds from tax revenues or development partners on ECD related activities within the education sector with the intention of creating future benefits (Anderson, Renzio & Levy, 2006; Wikipedia, 2010).
In order to have an efficient and effective investment in ECD in the education sector, government must fund all arrangements for care and education of children, and encompass related concerns such as family support, protection of rights, gender equality and health (UNESCO, 2006; Vargas-Barón, 2008). Investments must also cover lifelong learning, transition, employment and social integration policies, while addressing the field’s multiple dimensions for children from birth to eight years (Haddad, 2002).
Many nations including African governments are committing themselves to invest in different ECD programmes in the education sector (Vargas-Baron, 2005). For example, Namibia was investing more in teacher training (Namibia Resource Consultants, 2001); Ghana and Kenya are investing on different community based ECD programmes and ECD policy (Boakye, Adamu-Issah & Etse, 2001; Kenya Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, 2004), while Mauritius is investing in advocacy and capacity building to promote
ECD (Bassant & Moti, 2000). In the case of Uganda, the government has committed itself to invest in production of ECD teacher training curriculum, licensing and registration of ECD teachers and provision of guidelines on minimum standards for pre-primary institutions through its relevant agencies. It has also committed itself to invest in the development and dissemination of the ECD policy and policy guidelines, advocacy, community mobilization, monitoring, evaluation and research for quality assurance (MoES, 2007b).
Whereas the Government of Uganda recognises the need to have significant financial investment in ECD (MoES, 2008a), there is still little information on the exact proportion of the education expenditure that is invested in ECD at national level (MoES, 2007a) and at the local level (Baume, Neema, Kibombo & Cabanero-Verzosa, 2003; Cox, Granby, Horii and Morgan, 2006). District officials have not yet begun integrating ECD in their budgets to show investment in ECD at the local level (Okuni, 2003).
