February 23 (SeeNews) - The World Bank said it has approved a 47 million euro ($49.7 million) project for inclusive childhood education in Serbia.
The Inclusive Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) project will support an increase in preschool facilities and the availability of qualified teachers and include measures to enhance access of vulnerable groups through a targeted grant scheme for participating municipalities, the World Bank said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Investing in children’s education and care is not only the right thing to do, but also enhances economic competitiveness. With early stimulation, good nutrition, and regular preschool, children learn more and earn more as adults,” World Bank Group president Jim Yong Kim said in the statement.
Only half of children in Serbia has access to pre-school education. Even when focusing on children ages four and above, the enrollment rate in Serbia is low in comparison to the Europe 2020 enrollment target of 95%, the World Bank said.
Furthermore, access to early education in Serbia remains inequitable, as more than 80% of wealthy children are enrolled in ECEC programmes, compared to less than 10% of children from the poorest families. Access for Roma children averages only 6%, the bank added.
The inclusive ECEC project builds on the Early Wins for Lifelong Returns partnership to promote Early Childhood Development that was launched by the World Bank and the Novak Djokovic Foundation in August 2015.
($ = 0.9379 euro)