Vanuatu baseline survey: Final report for Save the Children and Ministry of Education, Vanuatu

Currently over 40% of eligible children (aged 4-6 years) in Vanuatu are not accessing preschool services, despite the fact that kindergartens have been established in most villages. The Ministry of Education, through Save the Children, Vanuatu, commissioned this report to complement existing information about the constraints and supports, which influence families’ access to available services. The study employed survey methodology to develop qualitative data, which are not captured by other studies. Respondents include families with one or more children aged 4-6 years, teachers and/or assistant teachers from identified preschools. A cohort of local advisors and informants oversaw all aspects of the study.

The study focuses on three areas. These are: 1) identifying perceptions of supports and constraints to access, including attitudinal constraints, 2) reviewing the indicators of quality delivery beyond classroom activities , and 3) assessing broad management issues. The survey instruments were developed in English and translated into Bislama. The instruments were piloted with several audiences and adjusted accordingly. The team of Provincial Preschool Coordinators (PPSC) attended two intensive days of training on how to train enumerators for this study. Over 1400 families, teachers and community leaders in six provinces participated in the study through face-to-face interviews. This study involved 90 enumerators travelling over 4700 square kilometres .

The study was designed to support and complement the Ministry of Education Kindergarten Registry Study (Registry Study), which provides details on preschool activities and related quality indicators, the Vanuatu Educational Management Information System (VEMIS), which provides demographic and other relevant statistical information about families with young children and several related studies and reports.