The First ALECSO Early Childhood Forum Concluded its Events in Tunisia

With the participation of Syria, represented by the Regional Centre for Early Childhood Development in the Ministry of Education, Tunisia concluded yesterday the work of the first ALECSO Early Childhood Forum, “Quality of early childhood and transformation of preschool education”, which was held over two days at the headquarters of the Arab educational, cultural and scientific organization in Tunis.

Experts and specialists in the field of early childhood from Syria, Jordan, Tunisia, Oman, Qatar, Libya and Morocco, as well as representatives of international associations and organizations, participated in the forum.

The Forum aims to emphasize the importance of consultation on ways of early childhood development in the context of the follow-up to the Education Transformation Summit 2022, follow-up to the outcome of the International Conference on Early Childhood Education and Care 2023, as well as to share experiences and good practices in improving early childhood in Arab States.

The Director of the Regional Centre for Early Childhood Development, Soha Bssisini, presented a working paper entitled “Efforts of the Regional Centre for Early Childhood Development to ensure quality in early childhood”.  The paper presented projects and achievements of the Syrian experience in early childhood development despite difficulties and challenges. Participating States also presented their experiences and efforts in early childhood development.

Participants in the Forum recommended the compilation of an Arab reference for early childhood, drawing on the best Arab experiences, a comprehensive Arab programme for family education and creating open educational resources  and early childhood assessments bank.

They also recommended November 20 as the date for holding the ALECSO Early Childhood Forum every year, supporting bilateral and multilateral partnerships between ALECSO, government agencies and civil society organizations, and launching the ALECSO Virtual Early Childhood platform for consultation and sharing experiences among Arab countries.

Amal Farhat