Nairobi, March 17 -- For nearly two decades, East African countries have invested heavily in primary and secondary education through targeted financial and policy interventions. And the results are illuminating. Most countries in the region have nearly achieved universal primary education, recording 80 percent enrolment in primary schools, on average, and at least 60 percent in secondary schools.

While this is commendable, it is paradoxical that the investments have been made at a cost to early childhood education, which, though, is the foundation upon which other learning levels are premised, is grossly underfunded and least accessible to the eligible learners.

Early childhood education (ECDE) programmes record low enrolments, on avera...