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  • Early start to human capital development

    Early start to human capital development

    Jakarta Post – The conversation on early childhood education and development (ECED) has been gaining momentum, helped by our increasingly informed and coordinated approaches to champion human capital development and address stunting.

    The Indonesian government has led the way with launching of the “first 1,000 days” movement in 2013 and the recent emphasis on the one-year preschool education as the minimum standard for regional governments. The government also launched a National Strategy to Accelerate Stunting Prevention in 2017, committing an estimated $14.6 billion to converge nutrition interventions across 514 districts and 98 cities. This created many opportunities for diverse stakeholders to contribute to and complement ECED efforts.

    According to the Ministry of Health, approximately 30.8 per cent of Indonesia’s children under five suffer from stunted development, an improvement from 37.2 per cent in 2013. This figure, however, still reflects the persistently high prevalence of stunting – a pertinent issue in the nation’s journey in human capital development.

    Access to and quality of early childhood services also vary significantly between geographies and social strata. A child born into a family from the richest quintile is 1.5x more likely to be enrolled in an early childhood center than a child from a family in the poorest quintile.

    Uneven development across emerging economies has led to inequalities that exacerbate the impediments to developing good ECED programs. Indonesia is no exception. On the one hand, we can build the good momentum created by country’s sustained investment in human capital and the maximized development opportunities brought about by the demographic dividend in the next decade; on the other, we continue to observe Indonesia’s stubborn Gini coefficient (around 0.4) and relatively high figures in developmental delays, further worsened by the triple malnutrition burden.

    We are all key stakeholders in human capital development. We should find ways in our different capacities to either support or participate in this endeavor.

    Ko Zin Thet

  • The Role of the Family in Early Childhood Development and Education

    The Role of the Family in Early Childhood Development and Education

    The first few years of a child’s life are vitally important. Put simply, children given the right start perform better in school, have more successful careers, enjoy better health and are less likely to suffer a range of diseases than those who do not.

    But Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) Falls short in Indonesia – in 2012 we ranked 44th out of 45 selected Asian countries in the Starting Well Index, which assesses the extent to which governments provide a good, inclusive ECED environment for children between the ages of three and six years old.

    Families play a crucial role in a child’s development, especially in Indonesia where the majority of children do not attend kindergarten. Without proper care from parents and family members, children enter the primary education system at age seven unprepared for learning.

    About 80 per cent of brain development takes place in the first three years of childhood, with another 10 per cent in the following two years. That means that 90 per cent of brain development is dictated by the experiences they have – whether positive or negative – before they first set foot in a classroom

    The role of the family

    The primary caregivers in this early period tend to be parents and families, so it’s vitally important that they understand the kind of positive interactions that young children need, and how to provide them.

    This is reaffirmed by recent research from the World Bank which specified that active parental engagement, including by fathers, in a child’s preschool activities is crucial to readiness for school later.

    Many Indonesian children of five years old and below do not reach their full potential because they do not receive adequate care, nutrition and opportunities to learn when their brain is developing most rapidly.

    Some playgroups and toddlers group activities are available for children aged two and under, but only 0.8 per cent of infants and toddlers in Indonesia are able to attend.

    Kindergartens for children aged three to five are available in 74 per cent of villages, but as these are provided by the private sector and not the government, many parents view them as a luxury, leading to an enrolment rate of just 34.6 per cent.

    Many frontline actors also lack training, leading to an emphasis on health and nutrition at the expense of strengthening parenting skills to enable quality interactions that introduce their young children to play-based learning.

    Many parents and kindergarten staff emphasise reading and numeracy skills, where in fact a focus on structured play will better prepare young children for the formal education system.

    Parents often require help learning the skills they need to provide structured play activities, foster functional communication and ensure proper nutrition.

    That’s why we’re setting up four Early Childhood Parenting Centres in Jakarta in October, to be followed by nine more in 2020. As part of the Foundation’s SIGAP (Strengthening Indonesian’s early Generation by Accelerating Potential) program, these centres will host expecting parents and main caregivers to have one-on-one sessions with stimulation coaches and feeding counsellors.

    These are meant to be a top-up to the existing Integrated Child-Friendly Public Spaces (RPTRA) in Jakarta, which are run by the government.

    Eventually, Tanoto Foundation plans to build the Parenting Centers in areas where our basic education program, PINTAR, already exists. This will be done with the premise that by taking care of the children’s first three years with good learning stimulation and play, followed by accessing quality preschools, they will be ready to enter PINTAR-assisted schools later and achieve their full potential.

    We hope that by working with local government to set up and run these facilities we can provide a model that can be scaled up and implemented across the country for the period where the return of investment for holistic human capital development is the highest.

    It takes the entire community to successfully raise our children. That means government, the private sector, philanthropies like Tanoto Foundation and, of course, parents and families all have a role to play in preparing the next generation of Indonesian citizens.

    Sri Kusuma Hartani, MD is the Head of Tanoto Foundation’s ECED program which aims to improve access to quality early childhood development, care, and pre-primary education so all Indonesian girls and boys are ready for primary education.

    Ko Zin Thet

  • How Tanoto Foundation Enable Parents to Establish and Sustain Exclusive Breastfeeding

    How Tanoto Foundation Enable Parents to Establish and Sustain Exclusive Breastfeeding

    It’s a common consensus that babies should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life – in Indonesia it’s even a protected right under article 128 of Health Act no. 36 of 2009.

    The benefits are overwhelming. In the early period of life, babies given breast milk have a mortality rate six times lower than babies who do not receive breast milk, making breastfeeding an important component of achieving Goal 3 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all.

    Babies who are breastfed also show better development in height, weight, cognitive functions, language and mental health.

    But despite this, Indonesia still lags behind. That’s significantly below the target of 50 per cent by 2025 set by the World Health Organization.

    Lack of breastfeeding is one of the causes of Indonesia’s persistent problem with stunting, which is defined as children under the age of two years who have not reached a standard height, a condition that can carry through to their adult lives without proper treatment.

    The brain is highly plastic during the first three years of life, with this period accounting for approximately 80 per cent of brain development. Breastfed infants have higher IQs than those who have never been breastfed, and this difference actually increases between the ages of three and seven, long after the child has moved onto solid foods.

    Both physically and mentally, the first few years of life play a crucial role in development, dictating the future prospects of each individual.

    It’s for this reason that Tanoto Foundation launched the SIGAP (Strengthening Indonesia’s early Generation by Accelerating Potential) program to ensure that every Indonesian child, from the womb until the first three years of his or her life, enjoys optimal growth and development through quality care so that they are ready to learn when entering education.

    The role of fathers

    Although many people understand the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, there is lower awareness of the many challenges breastfeeding mothers may face.

    Research shows that the main challenge in Indonesia is a lack of knowledge, with many women opting for formula milk rather than breastfeeding. Medical practitioners have a key role to play here, as they can provide information and motivation to new mothers.

    But mothers are not the only ones who need educating – fathers have an important part to play too.

    Several studies in the last decade show that fathers do not understand the importance of breastfeeding, often having greater awareness of the benefits of formula milk due to exposure in the media.

    Another study in the US in 1994 showed that strong approval from the father resulted in a 98.1 per cent incidence of breastfeeding, versus 26.9 per cent where the father was indifferent.

    Fathers may not be able to breastfeed themselves, but they can help, whether by encouraging the mother or by helping create the calm, relaxed conditions which are ideal for feeding.

    Recognizing the importance of this, the SIGAP program often collaborates with activists from the ASI Ayah community to create open discussions that they are easily digested by an audience of new fathers.

    The latest discussion forum was held on September 11, 2019, titled ‘Investments; let’s get to know the factory!’ which invites fathers to gradually understand the physical and psychological processes that can influence breastfeeding success.

    Through this event, the Tanoto Foundation invited facilitators from AyahASI Indonesia to give presentations on matters that are still considered taboo but are vitally important, such as understanding the physical changed of the breasts during pregnancy to postpartum, and how milk production can be stimulated.

    Typically many fathers in Indonesia consider these topics off limits to talk about, let alone learn about, so by tackling this in a relaxed environment the sessions can help change perceptions and explain to fathers the important role they can play.

    The need for nursing spaces

    One of the challenges mothers face can be finding a suitable space for breastfeeding, especially in the office.

    Some of these rights are enshrined in Indonesian law, including a requirement for the government to provide facilities for breastfeeding, and for employers to allow working mothers to nurse during office hours.

    But it’s not just facilities – companies should also provide psychological support to mothers to ensure they feel able to breastfeed in the office. If they feel that breastfeeding is encouraged in the workplace, they are more likely to feel comfortable doing so.

    At Tanoto Foundation’s office in Jakarta we set up a dedicated breastfeeding room, complete with comfy chairs, soothing décor, and a fridge for mothers who need to store pumped milk. It’s a simple gesture, but one that is vital in encouraging mothers to keep breastfeeding.

    Outside help

    New mothers are often left to deal with the housework as well as their new childcare responsibilities. In many cases this lack of rest results in depression, with negative consequences for both mother and baby. Family members can help alleviate the burden by taking over some of the household chores.

    Community leaders also have a role to play by acknowledging the importance of breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months, and encouraging family, friends and neighbours to create a supportive environment.

    The most important thing is to start building social narratives that position exclusive breastfeeding as a necessity, not just a choice.

    Breastfeeding is an important foundation for a healthy and prosperous future generation. More than that, breastfeeding plays a role in promoting sustainable economic development.  , while benefitting the environment by replacing manufactured milk formula with a natural alternative.

    Breastfeeding also promotes bonding between parents and babies, benefitting the baby’s sense of security, social-emotional, and mental health. Let’s support breastfeeding mothers together!

    Ko Zin Thet