The Challenge of ECCE Inclusive Education for Society 5.0
in Southeast Asia
By: Dr. Dwi Priyono, M.Ed.
Centre Director
CECCEP

Abstract
This article will try to answer the raised questions on how do we truly include and benefit everyone equallyaround the world and how do SEAMEO CECCEP promote education systems drive inclusive growth andprepare us for Society 5.0 in the area of ECCE and parenting in order to meet the SEAMEO’s Seven
Priorities Education Agenda 2035 align with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and call for
educational reforms for well-balanced regional development.

Introduction
A commitment of improving and sustaining the quality of early childhood care andeducation (ECCE) has reached global prominence can be seen in the actions of many internationalorganizations during the past fifteen years (Cochran, 2011, p. 65). Progress for Children Beyond
Averages: Learning from the MDGs (11th edition), published in June 2015 by UNICEF, presents
the latest data showing that tremendous advances in the lives of the world’s children have been
driven by the Millennium Development Goals. It is clear, however, that development efforts inthe past fifteen years have failed to reach millions of the most disadvantaged (UNICEF, 2015, p.
iii). ECCE plays a significant role in children development. ECCE has a long consequence forchildren development. Children who attend ECCE performs better in math, literacy and social skill
in the future. ECCE also plays vital and important roles in a country’s development. In fact, ECCE
has become a global concern as it is reflected in SDGs no 4, Quality of Education.
Roadmap of SDG Target 4.2 ECCE clearly stated that by 2030, ensure that girls and boys
have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they
are ready for primary education. The foundation of the roadmap is the commitment of regional
leaders. The roadmap started in 2016 by doing socialization as the Phase 1. In 2020, Phase 2 will
be conducted by implementing best practices all over the globe. Phase 3 will start by 2025 bydisseminating best practices all around the world. The achievement of child development is thenbeing examined and analyzed. By 2030, Phase 4 will be conducting evaluation of the wholeprocess with the hope that the target is well achieved.

The Importance of ECCEBased on a research of Nobel Prize winning Economics Professor James Heckman of theUniversity of Chicago. Heckman (2008) demonstrated that the quality of early childhooddevelopment (ECD) heavily influences health, economic and social outcomes for individuals andthe society at large. In short: investing in ECD produces enormous economic gains. According toHeckman, ECD has even a higher rate of return per dollar invested than interventions directed atolder children and adults. Heckman believes that by preventing the achievement gap, improving
health outcomes, boosting earnings and providing a high rate of economic return will become
the benefits of investing in quality early childhood education for disadvantaged children.

The Social Inclusion in ECCE Context Within Society 5.0
Target SDGs 4.2 is one of the examples of definition of inclusion by providing access equal
to boys and girls it is expected that education adress all children around the globe. Refering to
the report from World Bank, inclusion means the process of improving the terms for individuals
and groups to take part in society and the process of improving the ability, opportunity, anddignity of people, disadvantaged on the basis of their identity, to take part in society. Withinequity principle, educators do not attempt to create all children equally, but instead they would
ensure that every child will receive different support that would enable them to have equal
access and opportunity to ECCEWe need to discuss social equity in ECCE as education is a tool to dismantle all forms ofracism, prejudice and hegemonic thought and behaviour (Robinson & Díaz, 2006; Earick, 2009;
Daniel & Escayg, 2019; Hall, 2019). Furthermore, The United Nations Convention on the Rights of
the Child states the aim of educators should be to prepare ‘the child for responsible life in a freesociety, in the spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of sexes, and friendship among

all peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups and persons of indigenous origin’ (Save theChildren 1997, Article 29. 1d, 109).
The nature of Society 5.0 which named as “Super-smart society” was bring forth followed
the hunter-gatherer society (Society 1.0), agricultural society (Society 2.0), industrialized society(Society 3.0), and information society (Society 4.0). It is a human-centered society that balances
economic advancement with the resolution of social problems by a system that highly integrates
cyberspace and physical space. It envisions a sustainable, inclusive socio-economic system,powered by digital technologies such as big data analytics, AI (Artificial Intelligence), the Internetof Things and Robotics. It is Japanese government in 2016 which proposed “Society 5.0” in the5th Science and Technology Basic Plan in 2016 (a five-year national strategy formulated by theCouncil for Science, Technology and Innovation).
Society 5.0 achieves a high degree of convergence between cyberspace (virtual space)and physical space (real space). In the past information society (Society 4.0), people would accessa cloud service (databases) in cyberspace via the Internet and search for, retrieve, and analyze
information or data. In Society 5.0, a huge amount of information from sensors in physical spaceis accumulated in cyberspace. In cyberspace, big data are analyzed by artificial intelligence (AI),and the analysis results are fed back to humans in physical space in various forms.
In the past information society, the common practice was to collect information via thenetwork and have it analyzed by humans. In Society 5.0, however, people, things, and systems
are all connected in cyberspace and optimal results obtained by AI exceeding the capabilities ofhumans are fed back to physical space. This process brings new value to industry and society inways not previously possible.
In the information society (Society 4.0), cross-sectional sharing of knowledge andinformation was not enough, and cooperation was difficult. Also, due to various restrictions on
issues such as a decreasing birthrate and aging population and local depopulation, it was difficult
to respond adequately. Platform businesses, such as Windows, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, eventhe huge receipt site like Cookpad. The platform is provided where information, products andother services are made available, and due to its network effect, it can provide services andfunctions far beyond that only one company could provide. Not to mention, the vast growing of

Internet of Things (IoT) which means connecting things other than computers and mobile phones
to internet. For the reason that there is a limitation to what people can do, the task of finding thenecessary information from overflowing information and analyzing it was a burden, and the laborand scope of action were restricted due to age and varying degrees of ability. In society up tonow, a priority has generally been placed on social, economic, and organizational systems withthe result that gaps have arisen in products and services that individuals receive based on
individual abilities and other reasons.
In contrast, Society 5.0 achieves advanced convergence between cyberspace and physicalspace, enabling AI-based on big data and robots to perform or support as an agent the work andadjustments that humans have done up to now. This frees humans from everyday cumbersome
work and tasks that they are not particularly good at, and through the creation of new value, it
enables the provision of only those products and services that are needed to the people thatneed them at the time they are needed, thereby optimizing the entire social and organizationalsystem.

The Challenge of ECCE Inclusive Education for Society 5.0 in Southeast Asia
Some concern emerged within the idea of Society 5.0, i.e. the ways we live and work, andthe meanings of work be changed drastically. The environment surrounding young children will
also change a great deal. Furthermore, it is important to create a human-centered society. Youngchildren will be exposed more to virtual experiences with an increased reality. Moreover, it isimportant to create a human-centered society, where every singe member will lead a happy andaffluent life.
Another challenge is perceptibly will be in the forms of learning will be transformed in thenew society. This will in line with the challenges of ECCE teachers in Southeast Asia at the presenttime, namely, first high disparity of ECE services between urban and rural areas. Second, mostvillages in many countries do not have ECE Centre, especially those located in underprivileged,outer-front and outer-most areas. Third, the urgently need of quality ECE teachers. Last but notleast, the insufficient policy and learning frameworks.

Key Functions of SEAMEO CECCEP to Deal with Inclusive Education
SEAMEO CECCEP as an organisation within Southeast Asian countries that has mandate
to be a centre of excellence in a research, capacity building and advocacy and partnerships inECCE and parenting also tries to cope with problems of inclusive education especially in ECCE.
SEAMEO CECCEP take the part of becoming a research-hub that collects and analyses data,and disseminates information and expertise related to ECCE and parenting within the SEAMEO
member countries by, first, expanding access to a quality ECCE by implements the result reportof regional documentation of Innovatyive Financing Mechanisms and Partnerships on ECCE.
Second, providing quality ECCE means better teacher performances. UNESCO Bangkok andSEAMEO has a guide on ECCE Teacher’s Competency Framework (TCF). Making sure that TCF has
implemented in Southeast Asia has tackle one issue that is improving quality ECCE teachers. And
third, equipping teachers with understanding, knowledge and practices of inclusive education bygiving training, courses on inclusive education in partnerships with other SEAMEO center or otherorganizations.

Suggestion Concerning with Inclusive Education Related to SDGs 4.2
In an endeavor of improving access and quality of girls’ education through communitybased early childhood education and early-year gender mainstreaming, by means of:1.

Supporting girls to transition from early childhood education to lower primary education.

2.

Supporting the creation of a gender-responsive and safe teaching-learning environment, freeof school-related gender-biased violence.

3.

Engaging female and male teachers to develop gender responsive teaching attitudes andpractices and be change agents.

4.

Increasing parents, teachers and governments’ (national and local) understanding andcommitment in realizing gender equality and equity as well as implementing gendermainstreaming education at early years.

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