Early Childhood between a Rock and a Hard Place: Early Childhood Education and Students’ Disruption in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan

Jan Alam, Muhammad Azeem Ashraf, Samson Maekele Tsegay and Nadia Shabnam
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Jan Alam: Research Institute of Education Science, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
Muhammad Azeem Ashraf: Research Institute of Education Science, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
Samson Maekele Tsegay: School of Education and Social Care, Anglia Ruskin University, Young Street, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK
Nadia Shabnam: Department of Health Profession Education, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 8, 1-17

Abstract: Looking through the lens of ecological system theory, this paper used a mixed-method approach, based on 20 interviews and 208 Early Childhood Education (ECE) teacher questionnaires, to elaborate the position of ECE in Pakistan. The study indicates that ECE is between a rock and a hard place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The findings further show that ECE is provided by less qualified and inexperienced teachers, who give less attention to the physical and psychological needs of the students. The classrooms are overcrowded and lack relevant teaching–learning materials. Moreover, the single-teacher policy and overcrowded classrooms hinder students’ motivation, the delivery of quality education and the development of good behaviors. These challenges are also the main causes of students’ dropouts. This paper increases people’s understanding of ECE and its challenges in Pakistan. For ECE development, the paper recommends separating ECE from primary schools and giving it a budget to purchase adequate and relevant resources.

Keywords: early childhood education; overcrowded classroom; in-service training; teaching–learning materials; disruptive behaviors; Pakistan (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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