The Non-School Programmes for Early Education (PRONOEI): An Overview of Peru's Approach to Early Education
Executive Summary
The Non-School programmes for Early Education (PRONOEI) have been operating in Peru for 49 years. With the approval of the General Education Law under Decree Law No. 19326 in 1972, early education was incorporated as part of the educational system, leading to the official creation of PRONOEI on July 17, 1973. The Ministry of Education (Minedu) managed the non-school pilot programme, led by an early education teacher called a coordinating teacher, and facilitated by a community animator or promoter chosen and trained by the community to care for the children.Later, the Comprehensive programme for Early Stimulation Based on the Family (PIETBAF) emerged to address the needs of children under 3 years old in urban marginalized areas whose mothers did not work outside the home. In 1981, the National Institute of Education Research and Development (INIDE) and the Directorate of Early and Special Education started providing care for children aged 0 to 2 years. In this sense, PRONOEI serves children under 6 years of age who do not have access to a formal educational service, mainly in rural areas or peripheral urban zones without educational institutions or qualified teachers. PRONOEI aims to provide culturally relevant and flexible educational services that consider the social, cultural, economic, and temporary or permanent migration characteristics, contributing to expanding access to quality early education and achieving the goals of early education. There are a total of 17,281 PRONOEI functioning in community-provided facilities, serving 163,780 boys and girls in Cycle I and Cycle II. The educational care is provided by Community Educational Promoters, who are community members with a high school diploma and receive pedagogical guidance from Coordinating Teachers, who are either contracted or appointed early education teachers. The adopted approach is a rights-based approach, aiming to guarantee, recognize, and respect the inherent dignity of every human being and ensuring the exercise and enjoyment of the rights of boys and girls through actions implemented by the State, communities, and families. It enables children to live and develop in a protected, cared for, and loving environment, and allows them to express their feelings, thoughts, knowledge, and desires, while being respected and considered present or mentioned. Additionally, indigenous peoples enjoy a set of collective rights recognized by national and international norms, including the right to be educated in their own language and cultural environment.
Implementation
The Unschooling Non-School Education programme for Cycle II proposes a pedagogical approach to provide appropriate attention to children between 3 and 5 years old in rural areas through two strategies that fit their context. The pedagogical proposal engages families and communities to generate actions and opportunities that promote learning for children, as well as promoting the use of the mother tongue acquired in the family environment and valuing the local culture in each pedagogical activity.The educational attention activities are carried out through two different working methods: community-based and family-based. Each method includes different types of activities, including parent-child meetings, group activities with children, educational visits, and learning in families.The programme´s management component establishes guidelines for organizing and operating the Unschooling Non-School Education programme to ensure the quality of its educational services. The education services are provided by a Community Education Promoter (CEP), with oversight and support provided by a Coordinating Teacher (CT). Each CT oversees 8-10 CEPs in the community and up to 4 CEPs in the family environment.Lastly, the support component provides guidance for implementing and adequately operating the programme, including necessary materials, spaces, furniture and equipment, capacity building, and monitoring and follow-up actions.
Stakeholders and partners involved
The decentralized educational management instances MINEDU, DRE, and UGEL participate in the operation of PRONOEI. Additionally, the following educational personnel are available: Early Childhood Education Specialist, Coordinating Teacher (PC), Community Education Promoter (PEC)
Impact
The Early Education Directorate (DEI) analyzed the nominal data from the results of the Reading and Mathematics tests in the National Student Census Evaluation (ECE) for 2nd and 4th grade in 2016 and 2018. The results showed that children who attended an early education service, such as PRONOEI, performed better than those who did not attend any educational service. For example, in the Satisfactory level of the Reading test, 37.7% of PRONOEI attendees and 20.1% of non-attendees achieved the desired level. Similar trends were observed in the Mathematics test. These findings highlight the positive impact of early education services on the academic performance of students.
Innovations
Insights from the ´Evaluation of Educational Service Model Cycle II in Family and Community Environment´ Study
Results of the Study Conducted on the ´Evaluation of Design to the Educational Service Model Cycle II in Family and Community Environment´:
Need for the model: The model ensures access to early education. Relevance of the pedagogical proposal: Better planning and organization, active learning, and more family involvement; Commitment of PECs: They play a crucial role in the care of children in their communities; Reorganization of PC work hours: PC has a more scheduled work day and clear responsibilities; Visibility and revaluation of non-school programmes: Support for non-school programmes from specialists and territorial teams; Pedagogical approach: Focus on quality processes such as free play and socio-emotional well-being; Pedagogical support: Increased frequency of support for PECs from PC for EC and EF strategies.
Constraints
Insufficient or zero budget approval for implementation actions, limiting the development of training workshops and pedagogical technical assistance visits. Staff turnover in educational services due to low salaries and lack of job offers for coordinating teacher positions. Inability to implement infrastructure improvement actions for PRONOEI premises, as per PRONIED´s regulatory framework.
Fostering Commitment from Regions and Early Childhood Education Specialists, as well as Utilizing Programs, Contributes to Enhancing Education Quality and Program Expansion
The approval of DS 007-2022-TR, the Wiñay Warmi strategy by the Ministry of Labor, includes Certification of Competencies for PECs, allowing for the accreditation of personnel working in PRONOEI. The commitment of regions and early childhood education specialists is crucial for the successful implementation of MSE activities. PRONOEI programmes with a target of serving more than 15 children can be converted through the PP 150 programme. Certification of competencies for PRONOEI personnel is essential for improving the quality of education. The commitment of regions and early childhood education specialists is vital for the success of MSE implementation. The PP 150 programme can be utilized as an opportunity to expand the capacity of PRONOEI programmes.