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schools to support early childhood development in Indonesia and the Asia Pacific region
International education experts and policy makers will gather in Jakarta to discuss early childhood education.
Experts argue that early childhood education is very important, as do family, community and school roles, to ensure that preschool and elementary school children have a solid foundation for lifelong learning.
"Early childhood educators show that physical, socio-emotional and cognitive development is much greater than those children who do not," said Stefan Koeberle, World Bank Country Director for Indonesia. "By improving access to childhood education early, future generations of Indonesia will be more successful in school and can achieve a higher standard of living. "
Both globally and in the Asia and Pacific countries, the most vulnerable groups do not go up and drop out are children in the first years of primary school.
Since 2007, with the support of the Royal Netherlands Government and the World Bank, the Government of Indonesia has increased access to Early Childhood Education and Development (PPAUD) services for low-income communities, in order to strengthen the capacity of students when they start school. In villages that benefit from this project, children demonstrate better language skills and cognitive development, as well as increased enrollment rates.
"Research shows that educational investments at an early age result in better benefits being bathed with investments at other age levels. Practitioners, policymakers and experts should work together to strengthen the Early Childhood Education agenda to achieve better results, "said Mae Chu Chang, Principal Education Specialist, World Bank Indonesia.
The conference combines around 250 PAUD experts and lasts until November 7 and jointly organized by the World Bank, the Asia Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC), the National Coalition for Early Childhood Care and Development, the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the European Union .
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are one of the most influential commitments to children worldwide through reducing child mortality and increasing children's participation in education. A regional discussion on how early childhood can play a role in the post-MDG agenda, which ends in 2015, is on the agenda of the conference.
