Teachers’ training: Early childhood education programme to start at AIOU

ISLAMABAD:

The government will provide all possible support to Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) for undertaking the childhood education programme and introducing online learning, assured education minister Balighur Rehman on Thursday.

The minister of state was speaking at a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between AIOU and Parwaan E-9 Early Childhood Educational Development (ECED) Centre of Excellence for developing a post-graduate diploma course on early childhood education.

Under the MoU, Parwaan will collaborate with AIOU in development of course material, training of faculty staff and establishment of a resource centre at the university for launching a diploma course for teachers’ training on childhood education.

“As the formative years of a child’s life today are being commercialised, parents are forced to think that a child will not succeed if they are not sent to school at two years of age,” said the minister.

Our national policy centres should determine the best age for a child to be sent to school and what children should be taught without overburdening their minds, he added.

AIOU Vice-Chancellor Dr Shahid Saddiqui spoke about initiatives being taken for the betterment of neglected sections of society, including a programme for out-of-school children and provision of free education to prisoners in jails.

Mehnaz Aziz, president for Parwaan, said the partnership between Parwaan E9 ECED and AIOU would cater to the demands of those who wish to polish and enhance their knowledge and expertise in early childhood education.

This course spanning one-year and 30 credit hours is expected to fill an important gap of high demand among students wishing to acquire early childhood education, equipping them with the required expertise to implement this in their professional lives.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th, 2015.