A Fiji early childhood lecturer attending a policy seminar in Papua New Guinea's capital says for national policies to be effective they must involve community consultation.
The three-day, UN sponsored seminar drew participants from Palau, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa, Timor Leste and Australia as well as Asia.
It aimed to asess and review national policies, initiate new regional partnerships and look at ways to improve teaching quality.
Fiji National University's Ufemia Camaitoga says all sectors must contribute to early childhood policies.
"The need for consultation from all levels, from the grassroots, from the communities, from the parents, the families, all the way up to the policy-makers and leaders is essential if we have to get ownership of these policies and in order to implement. Fiji has a unique situation. We have lots of activities in place but in terms of policies we need to strengthen them."
