Under Patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Al Faisal, Minister of Education, Deputy Minister for Women's Education Opens Early Childhood Education Forum

Al-Faiz: Further cooperation between the private and public sectors is important to prepare future generations and keep pace with new developments and changes and meet the national goals of Saudi Arabia.

Jeddah-Saudi Arabia: 26 March, 2014 - Her Excellency Norah Al-Faiz, Deputy Minister for Women’s Education, stressed the significance of early childhood education in building a generation that is able to tackle future challenges, confidently and efficiently. She also emphasized the importance of strengthening the cooperation between the private and public sectors to prepare future generations and keep pace with the new developments in education.

Al-Faiz’s remarks came at the inaugural edition of the Early Childhood Education Forum that opened today under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Minister of Education, at the Jeddah Hilton. The event will conclude on 27 March. Hosted by the Stellar Group, the event seeks to raise awareness on the role that quality education plays in the formative years of children and promote the exchange of best practices among early learning practitioners in Saudi Arabia. 

Delivering the opening speech at the forum, Al-Faiz said: “Through investing in the education of Saudi children, we seek to build a new generation that is conscious of its responsibility towards themselves, their families and the society. To achieve this ambition, we need to adopt a comprehensive approach that links the stages of early education to other education stages. Equally important is for the private and public sectors to effectively participate in the achievement of this goal, and provide the necessary support to the development initiatives of our nation.”

She added: “Paying attention to the quality of early childhood program is at the core of education reforms primarily because it is this stage that lays the foundation for well-rounded education. Delayed investment may result in negative impact on the children’s growth and education level, and consequently impact heavy losses to the communities and countries in general. It is noteworthy that education reform requires consolidating the efforts of private and public sector institutions, as education is a social responsibility and a national duty.”

During her speech, Huda Al Almoudi, CEO, Stellar Group, said: “For our efforts to come to fruition, we must recognise and never lose sight of the fact that the formative years of the children are the most important for us to ensure that children are moulded into balanced individuals. More importantly, parents, teachers and policymakers must understand their responsibility towards early childhood education. Raising awareness of this role is a key objective for which the Early Childhood Education Forum has been organised through the provision of a platform that brings together all stakeholders such as the family, teacher, school administrations, and the Ministry of Education under one roof.” 

Early Learning Forum 2014 includes 20 workshops that seek to equip participants with the tools and skills required for supporting the needs of children from early childhood through to school. The agenda also includes 20 panel discussions that are anticipated to both motivate and challenge conventional thinking on educational best practices. Participants in the sessions include education experts from the US, Finland, UAE, Saudi Arabia, as well as specialists from the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia and faculty members from King Saud University and King Abdul Aziz University.

The forum will discuss a range of important topics that affect the early education of children, including ‘How to Detect Children with Reading Disabilities’, ‘Patterns of Emotional Abuse Affecting Children’, ‘Efficiency and Considerations of Mathematics in Preschool Age’, ‘How to Educate Our Children to Take Responsibility’, ‘Promoting Emotional Intelligence Skills in Early Childhood’, ‘Mathematics in Preschool: Luxury or Necessity’, and a host of other topics that focus on the overall development of the concepts and practices of early childhood education.

Stellar group was founded to catalyze youth development and foster women empowerment in the MENA region and especially in Saudi Arabia. Through a wide range of programs and projects, Stellar Group facilitates quality deal flow, encourages investor collaboration and develop important relationships with local and international key service providers. Regional exhibitions and activities include a venture fair, regular networking events, educational forums. All these activities aim to create a positive environment for the sustainable development of Stellar Group and other businesses and institutes in Saudi Arabia and the MENA region.