BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

PROFESSIONALS of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) are told to sharpen their skills, look for new ideas and embrace change.

Dr Hj Junaidi Hj Abd Rahman, the Permanent Secretary (Core Education) at the Ministry of Education (MoE) said that in doing so, relevant stakeholders in ECCE can “make a better future for the new generation who will be the leaders of tomorrow”.

The Permanent Secretary was speaking during the closing ceremony of the ECCE International Conference at the Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) yesterday.

Dr Hj Junaidi said that the wide range of keynote and paper presentations and discussions on ECCE has introduced new ways and innovations to achieve meaningful improvements in children’s learning and development.

“It is inevitable that we are faced with challenges in providing young children with the best possible care and education,” he added.

The Permanent Secretary said that the conference has shared research inputs and findings that are viable solutions to address the current issues and concerns in the various areas on ECCE.

He added that significant education, social and economic benefits can be gained from effective early childhood education programmes.

The conference, which was held at UNISSA’s Jubli Hall, saw a total of nine resolutions presented at the closing ceremony by the Head of Repportuer Dk Hjh Siti Fatimah Pg Hj Petra.

The first resolution invites all stakeholders, including government and non-government organisations as well as both public and private education institutions, to invest in ECCE, which is cost-effective in nurturing future leaders.

The conference also resolved to continue research on ensuring quality assurances in programmes offered for pre-school children.

It was also resolved that the participants need to emphasise the concept of Melayu Islam Beraja (Malay Muslim Monarchy) in all aspect, whereby it “must not be taken for granted and should be continuous and highlighted”.

Dk Hjh Siti Fatimah added that this was to prepare young children with a well-balanced education, as a means to “nurture holistic future leaders who are well-rounded lifelong learners with valuable and marketable skills to thrive in the future”.

The fifth resolution requested stakeholders to develop clear policy statements and practice guidelines for ECCE and to be transparent in public-private partnerships.

It was also decided that three-year pre-primary education in government schools should be introduced to provide opportunities for young children to be exposed longer to quality ECCE.

A resolution to remind educators and care service providers to employ multiple teaching strategies was also decided. Dk Hjh Siti Fatimah said that this was to fulfill the students’ with different learning needs by including child-to-child interactions as well as child-to-teacher activities.

The conference resolved that more male teachers need to be involved in pre-schools as they are under-represented.

“Effective strategies must be made in order to retain male pre-school teachers,” Dk Hjh Siti Fatimah said.

Finally, it was resolved that programmes and trainings for parents, the community and educators need to be developed further.

Dk Hjh Siti Fatimah added that the programmes and trainings should be developed in the context and culture of the nation to ensure the safety, protection and welfare of the children in the country.

The Brunei Times