I-BEST 2023 – Early Childhood Education personnel

The Education and Solidarity Network and the Foundation for Public Health, in partnership with Education International and the UNESCO Chair Global Health & Education, have launched the 2nd edition of the International Barometer of the Health and Wellbeing of Education Personnel (I-BEST) in 2023.

This year, over 26,000 people took part in the second edition of the international barometer of the health and well-being of education staff!

The results of the 2023 edition clearly show that there has been no overall change in the situation, even though local realities remain unique and varied.

This year also celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the International Labour Organization’s set of policy guidelines for promoting decent work for early childhood education (ECE) personnel.

This policy guidelines aim of ensuring universal access to high-quality ECE brought together government, employer, and worker representatives to agree. Since then, several developments have significantly impacted the working conditions of those who work with the youngest children:

• ECE personnel have been among the education workers whose employment conditions were most affected by the pandemic (according to an EI survey in 2020).
• The high level of feminization and gender inequality in the ECE workforce has been linked to its low status, low salaries, and poor working conditions (UNICEF, 2022).
• Additionally, chronic underfunding of the sector is particularly pronounced in low and middle-income countries (UNICEF, 2019).
• And the expansion of both paid and unpaid care work has placed pressure on the availability of childcare services and qualified ECE personnel.

So, where do we stand ten years after the adoption of the ILO Policy Guidelines?

For a more in-depth analysis, consult the full set of the ECE I-BEST 2023 results over here!