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Early childhood education
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Early childhood education (ECE) is often seen as an opportunity to get a head start in schooling. Information gathered from the PILNA System Questionnaire shows that, although each country has policies regarding ECE, the structure and compulsory nature varies across participating countries. As part of PILNA, students were asked to indicate their ECE history using the following categories: ‘Yes, for 1 year’, ‘Yes, for 2 years’, ‘Yes for 3 years of more’, or ‘No’.
ECE attendance
In Tuvalu, most year four students (95%) and year six students (96%) attended at least one year of ECE. Similar proportions were seen for boys (92%) and for girls (98%). There are differences, however, in the amount of time that students spent at ECE prior to their schooling. Table STT1.1 shows these ECE differences by year four students and year six students in Tuvalu in PILNA 2021.
Importantly, two out of three students in year four (64%) and in year six (64%) reported attending ECE for three years or more. Only 5% of year four students and 4% of year six students reported they did not attend any ECE at all.
What does this mean?
Most students who participated in PILNA 2021 attended ECE for at least one year. Similar proportions were observed across year four and year six students, showing ECE attendance rates were stable over time. The majority of students in both year levels also attended ECE for three or more years before attending school.
