Conference on

Nurturing Early Years Education and Care in Palestine: Hopes, Aspirations and Reality

Closing Remarks

Al-Quds Open University and its partners in CARE project conducted a scientific conference entitled: Nurturing Early Years Education and Care in Palestine: Hopes, Aspirations and Reality, on Monday, November 25, 2024, at the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

The conference shed light on kindergarten and nurseries’ situation in Palestine, and helped in exploring, and identifying novel initiatives and practices in early childhood education.

Through the conference sessions, academics and specialists from the Palestinian Universities presented 22 scientific papers, addressing topics related to early childhood care and education.

The participants proposed several key recommendations as follows:

1. To enhance teachers’ knowledge in employing digital technology when dealing with children in early childhood phase. This can be achieved through conducting training and workshops that keep pace with the digital era, creating a supportive technological environment.
2. To ensure the provision of the necessary resources to employ play as a means to manage children’s behavior and develop their skills.
3. To build the capacities of kindergarten and nursery staff through specialized workshops and training sessions.
4. To equip educational institutions with advanced communication tools and modern teaching methods to train children on virtual world interaction.
5. To design training programs for parents on the effective use of modern technology, sharing content with their children, and regulating the use of technology in educational programs.
6. To improve infrastructure in the educational system, particularly in kindergartens and nurseries, by providing technological facilities and internet access to support effective digital integration.
7. To provide tablets and allow scheduled use of personal devices.
8. To update curricula and activities in kindergartens to integrate digital technology effectively.
9. To train educators how to design and produce educational games aligned with curriculum objectives, and children’s developmental stages.
10. To connect educational institutions to modern information networks relevant to early childhood issues.
11. To employ educators with academic qualifications in early childhood education.
12. To qualify and leverage teachers without educational degrees in early childhood through specialized professional diplomas.
13. To encourage collaboration among early childhood professionals and universities for joint research and participation in conferences to benefit from the latest findings in the field.
14. To network with local and global early childhood institutions to exchange best practices while respecting the Palestinian cultural context.
15. To develop and generalize successful models in early childhood education.
16. To establish distinguished examples of nurseries and kindergartens and extend their expertise and support to marginalized areas.
17. To focus on programs that foster creativity in young children.
18. To create flexible educational programs adaptable to emergencies, including remote learning and safe, advanced educational centers to ensure the continuity of education during crises.