SDGs and Education: Sustainable Financing for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia

In 2015, the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4-Education 2030 was adopted with an ambitious Target 4.2 on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), which states, "By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.” However, despite the global commitment and established benefits of investing in ECCE, it is still a sub-sector that is seriously underfunded in the Asia and the Pacific region. Public spending is often not sufficient, and external funding is, at times, not large enough or sustainable. However, a few studies have been conducted to identify specific challenges and innovative practices for financing ECCE, considering the detailed contexts of each country.

Against this background, this study explores strategies for sustainable financing of ECCE in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Viet Nam, employing the mixed methods approach. In its qualitative component, semi-structured interviews were conducted with stakeholders at central, provincial, district, and institutional levels. The key findings show that Cambodia and Lao PDR depend on external funding, while a community preschool system is applied in Cambodia to expand access to ECCE in rural/remote areas. In Viet Nam, there are some innovative practices, such as collaboration with private sector actors, in urban areas on an ad hoc basis. The study implied that, in addition to ensure adequate, efficient, and equitable funding, governments are recommended to set a framework to promote strategic engagement with the private sector in promoting sustainability in financing ECCE.

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Posted by IAFOR