Ali took time out from her research into early education in Pacific Island communities, to lend her expertise to the UNICEF project, which aimed to improve early childhood education in eastern Indonesia.
Although she had undertaken similar on-the-ground research in Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands, Ali was humbled by the poverty, malnutrition and the legacy of civil war that had a huge impact on children’s learning in the villages she saw.
But she was also heartened by the local initiatives to provide valuable schooling, and in particular using natural resources and the involvement of parents in things like gardening projects and making and selling handcrafted goods.
“It’s a village process, often instigated by the village chief and his wife. Often we found parents provided a playgroup session in their homes. And I saw some very good practices like using natural materials to make toys and seed pods and shells for counting.”
There’s also a huge desire in the villages to improve education opportunities, she says, but that’s largely hindered by a lack of resources and teacher training.
The project aimed to conduct a stocktake, determine what was needed, and then make recommendations to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) on how the best results might be achieved.
Ali is quick to point out the project is not about imposing a Western education framework on to indigenous practices.
“We’re looking at their traditional models and weaving in some concepts. We’re ensuring traditional language and culture are maintained, and we’re trying to empower adults by offering them technical advice and helping them access professional development.”
With the stocktake completed, the group has composed a list of recommendations. These recommendations have been approved by UNICEF and are currently being considered by MFAT.