Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Early Childhood Development (ECD) Projects in Oman
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Oman’s commitment to early childhood development (including ECE) is a critical part of its Vision 2040, reflecting the country’s focus on inclusive, high-quality learning and development for all children. My work on these projects, as a project manager and main researcher, conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and Ministry of Social Development (MoSD), spanned the full spectrum of policy planning, financial modeling, and institutional design, ensuring that Oman’s youngest children have access to the services they need to thrive in line with the Nurturing Care Framework.
Part I: Early Childhood Education (ECE) – Expanding Access by 2040
The ECE project, led by the Ministry of Education, aimed to support the government in achieving universal, high-quality kindergarten (KG2) access by 2040. This involved exploring four distinct costing and financing scenarios, each with different levels of public and private sector involvement:
Scenario 1: Full Public Provision and Financing: The MoE assumes full responsibility for all additional KG2 service delivery, covering all related costs to ensure universal access by 2040.
Scenario 2: Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) – Build-Lease-Operate: Private institutions design, construct, and operate facilities, while the government agrees to purchase the services on predetermined terms. This model leverages private sector efficiency while maintaining public oversight.
Scenario 3: Vouchers and Private Provision: MoE provides financial support through vouchers, allowing private institutions to expand service coverage. This reduces the immediate capital burden on the public sector.
Scenario 4: Full Private Provision and Financing: Private institutions take full responsibility for service provision, potentially including land and capital expenses through innovative financing models like Islamic endowments. However, this model is unlikely to achieve the 100% coverage target due to affordability constraints for low-income families.
To guide the practical implementation of these scenarios, the team developed an Early Learning Action Plan, split into three phases to ensure a structured, gradual rollout that aligns with national budget cycles and institutional capacity.
Part II: Early Childhood Development (ECD) – Integrated Support for Families
The ECD project, a contract extension led by the Ministry of Social Development, focused on addressing a broader policy question: “How can we ensure that ECD services are available to all children and their families when and where they need them?”
This project required a more decentralized approach, creating institutional models that reflect Oman’s diverse demographic and geographic realities. Key components included:
Institutional Design: Identifying and designing decentralized service delivery models that can adapt to different local needs while maintaining high standards of care.
Costing and Financing: Developing financial models to sustainably support these institutions, including public funding, private sector partnerships, and innovative financing mechanisms like endowments and social impact bonds.
Governance and Regulation: Establishing governance frameworks, service standards, and regulatory mechanisms to ensure quality and accountability at different institutional levels.
Inclusivity and Disability: Given the project is part of the Disability Lab under Vision 2040, special consideration was given to ensuring that children with disabilities are included in service planning and delivery.
Key Outcomes and Strategic Alignment:
Both the ECE and ECD projects were designed to support Oman’s Vision 2040 and various ministerial strategy documents, ensuring that early childhood investments align with broader national goals. This included:
Improved Access and Quality: Creating scalable models for high-quality early learning that are financially sustainable and context-sensitive.
Long-Term Impact: Establishing a foundation for lifelong learning, economic productivity, and social inclusion.
Institutional Resilience: Building institutional capacity to manage and adapt to future challenges, including demographic shifts and economic uncertainties.
Updates:
May 2025
Held high-level meetings with H.E. the Minister of Education and H.E. the Minister of Social Development to handover the project, discuss ongoing policies and opportunities for strengthening early childhood development.
Update: August 2024:
Held meeting with H.E. the Minister of Social Development to validate the proposed models for universal ECD, costing figures and financing options for ECD expansion
Update: ECD Launch
Under the patronage of Ms. Maany bint Al-Busaidiyah, Director General of Family Development, the Early Childhood Development Project was officially launched in the Sultanate of Oman.
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