ECCD Committee for Accra/Tema

Pg 17 (w'mens page) Thurs Feb. 14/08
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho

THE Deputy Greater Accra Regional Minister, Madam Theresa Amerley Tagoe, has inaugurated the Greater Accra/Tema District Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Committee in Accra.
This brings to 39 the number of ECCDs inaugurated across the country, to implement the ECCD policy at the district level.
The ECCD policy, which is aimed at the holistic development of the child from zero to eight years, was launched by the government in August 2004 to provide a framework that will serve as the guidance for the government, and other relevant sector ministries, district assemblies, communities, families, the private sector and non-governmental organisation to effectively implement ECCD programmes.
Madam Tagoe said over the years, governments had developed laws and policies to ensure the total welfare of the Ghanaian child, and mentioned the Children’s Act of 1998, the Criminal Code Amendment Act (Act 554), the Human Trafficking Act (Act 694), and the ECCD policy as some of the legislation that had been enacted.
She said to ensure the effective implementation of these laws and policies, it was important to create a favourable environment for effective programming, implementation, and monitoring strategies, which she added called for an effective collaboration and networking between the government, ministries, departments and agencies (MDA’s) and non-governmental organisations.
She said ECCD programmes helped to build good foundations for the development of a nation’s human capital, stressing that such programmes had the highest rate of return of child development activities, and effective means of reducing poverty.
Madam Tagoe said the benefits of ECCD would among other things ensure a greater social equity, increase in the efficacy of other investments and address the needs of mothers while helping their children, adding that an integrated programme for children could modify the effects of socio-economic and gender-related inequalities, including some of the most entrenched causes of poverty.
The National Co-ordinator of ECCD, Mrs Ruth Addison, who enumerated some of the benefits derived from incorporating ECCD into national policies, said it helped to improve the psycho-social and health needs of the child, in addition to improving their progress and performance in school.
She further indicated that ECCD also helped to improve the health of both parents and children due to improved knowledge on how to take good care of their children, and added that it also improved their leadership skills.
She said at the community level, ECCD policies helped to bridge the gab between children in the rural poor and those in the urban-rich areas.