Bangladesh ECD Network
(BEN)
ECD
Network Bangladesh (BEN) is a forum of government,
non-government and international organizations
working on early childhood development (ECD) in
Bangladesh. The Network was formally established
on 7 September 2005 with the participation of
Ninety Organizations representing all divisions
of Bangladesh. The main purpose of the Network
is to be a forum for sharing information and experiences
and increase cooperation among the organizations.
On an occasion of the launching ceremony of Bangladesh
ECD Network at BIAM Foundation Multipurpose Hall,
Dhaka, the ECD Directory and Website were also
officially launched. These anticipated to be important
resources for all ECD stakeholders to strengthen
knowledge sharing and cooperation under the umbrella
of the Network. The Joint Secretary of the Ministry
of Women and Children Affairs (MOWCA), Mohammad
Abul Quashem, was present at the ceremony as the
chief guest.
Goal
To
encourage and support the government, and national
as well as international organizations and partners
in their commitment and investment in ECD in Bangladesh
Objectives
The
objectives of Bangladesh ECD network are as follows:
- Advocate
for and support the government in preparing
and implementing a national policy and framework
for ECD initiatives throughout the country
- Promote
public awareness about the importance of ECD
and provide caregivers with support and information
on how to practice age appropriate interactive
care
- Strengthen
ECD capacity in Bangladesh by ensuring co-ordination
of ECD activities and convergence of ECD best
practices among ECD partners
- Support
the establishment of a solid knowledge base
and organisational culture on ECD, as well as
facilitating a common understanding of the concept
of ECD and of the whole child approach underlying
ECD efforts within the network
-
Support ECD partners in sharing information
about ECD activities and research as well as
ensuring that the same partners can gain easy
access to new information and knowledge on ECD
-
Ensure that ECD information is collected, analysed
and disseminated to ECD network partners and
other relevant actors
- Develop
generic guidelines for development of ECD materials
and activities and promote their wide use in
a coordinated and concerted effort to ensure
that all young children in Bangladesh receive
age appropriate ECD care.
- The
major activities of Bangladesh ECD Network are
as follows:
- Advocate
for and support the government in preparing
and implementing a national policy and framework
for ECD initiatives throughout the country
- Promote
public awareness about the importance of ECD
and provide caregivers with support and information
on how to practice age appropriate interactive
care
- Strengthen
ECD capacity in Bangladesh by ensuring co-ordination
of ECD activities and convergence of ECD best
practices among ECD partners
- Support
the establishment of a solid knowledge base
and organisational culture on ECD, as well as
facilitating a common understanding of the concept
of ECD and of the whole child approach underlying
ECD efforts within the network
-
Support ECD partners in sharing information
about ECD activities and research as well as
ensuring that the same partners can gain easy
access to new information and knowledge on ECD
- Ensure
that ECD information is collected, analysed
and disseminated to ECD network partners and
other relevant actors
-
Develop generic guidelines for development of
ECD materials and activities and promote their
wide use in a coordinated and concerted effort
to ensure that all young children in Bangladesh
receive age appropriate ECD care.
The
Secretariat
The
Secretariat of Bangladesh ECD Network establish
at Early Childhood Development Resource Centre,
BRAC University Institute of Educational Development.
The Secretariat envisaged supporting the network
in general and under supervision by the national
committee. Funding for such a secretariat and
its activities is available for one or two years
after which the ECD network will have to decide
on how to sustain the secretariat – either through
fundraising, membership funding or voluntary human
resource contributions.
In
order to ensure the sustainability and continuity
of the secretariat, it is proposed that the secretariat
is placed with the Early Childhood Development
Resource Centre (ECDRC) under of BRAC's Institute
of Education and Development (IED). The ECDRC
is already established and can logically facilitate
the secretariat, provide necessary support and
provide supervision in accordance with the needs
of the Network committee. The centre will also
be able to serve as a strong partner in collecting
information about ECD in Bangladesh and share
this with all network partners.
An
alternative model is to establish the secretariat
as a function that can be placed in a network
member organisation and go on rotation every one
or two years. This is however not recommended
as it involves heavy administration related to
rotation, while it will lead to discontinuity
of the work of the secretariat and hence affect
the work of the Network.
The
responsibilities of the secretariat includes,
- Support
the committee in its work
- Perform
all administrative duties of the network including
servicing members, organize and update files,
database, directory and web-site
- Plan
and organize network activities according to
annual activity plan
Executive
Committee
To
facilitate structure and direction of the network,
it is envisaged that network members elect a national
ECD network committee, comprising:
A
chairperson - elected bi-annually to serve a period
of 2 years. The chairperson is responsible for
coordination of activities and will be the spokesperson
of the committee.
A
vice chairperson - elected bi-annually and taking
on same responsibilities in the absence of the
chairperson
A
member secretary - elected biannually to serve
a period of 2 years. The secretary shall be responsible
for ensuring that the secretariat prepare and
circulate minutes of meetings, keep records, and
will schedule meetings and perform other administrative
duties as required by the committee.
6
committee members – to be elected biannually and
responsible for taking initiative and provide
inputs for organizing network activities and ensure
that the network is functioning satisfactorily.
The
responsibilities of the executive committee includes,
- Drafting
and updating a constitution for the network
including quorum rules for committee and network
- Plan
and organize fundraising activities according
to budget needs
- Prepare
an annual budget for the network and ensure
budget accountability
- Identify,
plan and organise relevant network activities
- Draft
and distribute annual network activity plan
- Approve
new memberships
- Ensure
that the network directory and website is updated
on a regular basis
- Supervise
secretariat in performing its duties
- Delegate
required network tasks to network members
- Represent
the network domestically and internationally
according to availability of funds
- Establish
advisory and consultation structures including
(a) formal expert consultation team, (b) An
inter-ministerial co-ordination team for ECD
- Lead
fundraising and ensure adequate availability
of funds to maintain the sustainability of the
network
Ensuring
- Specific
attention to the rights of infants & young
children in …
- all
ECCD age groups, pre-natal - 3, 3 - 5, 5 –6;
- Marginalized and disadvantaged young children.
Please note that we are not
a grant-making body and regret that we are unable
to provide grants, scholarships, bursaries etc.
to organizations. |
