Islamic Relief holds a scientific day on Kindergarten Curriculum

Islamic Relief organized a scientific day entitled “Kindergarten Curriculum Between Development Steps and Future Expectations through Action Research”, in line with the achievements of its project to improve the quality of education in Kindergartens which is funded by Islamic Relief Germany.

The scientific day concluded with a number of recommendations, including: The need to review the programs of preparing kindergarten teachers in Palestinian universities in terms of their plans, objectives and policies to comply with the comprehensive quality standards. Also, the need to cooperate with scientific institutions by activating resources centers that enable kindergartens to employ education technology. And, the need to modify the programs of practical education in universities to include training at kindergartens, and other recommendations.

In his speech, the Country Director of the Islamic Relief Office Palestine, Mr. Muneeb Abu Ghazaleh stressed the deep interest of Islamic Relief in improving the quality of education in kindergartens. He said: “Islamic Relief pays much attention to kindergartens and the development of this sector is a priority for Islamic Relief for the importance of this stage. The studies on the childhood psychology and education emphasize that the early education is fundamentally important and that the first five years of an individual are the foundation that shapes child’s future health, development and learning achievement”.

Mrs. Maha Barzaq, an education specialist at Islamic Relief, stated:  “The scientific day marks the completion of Islamic Relief significant work with kindergartens. Islamic Relief has already conducted a survey on the realities of kindergartens, and we seek to utilize the participatory action research as a tool for continuous self-development at kindergartens. The kindergarten teacher should be the leader of change and the kindergarten itself should be a unit for change and work to ensure consistency between kindergarten, child’s home and society”.

In their speech, Mr. Ayoub Eliyan & Mr. Mohammed Siyiam, representatives of Ministry of Education state that investment in early childhood is an efficient step toward sustainable development and creates better future outcomes. It achieves the main goal; that is, to raise a Palestinian child who is capable of creative and critical thinking. Moreover, he highlights the importance of developing a unified curriculum in a step that emphasizes a united Gaza and West Bank.