The Awarding Committee of Khalifa Award meets to reflect on the achievements
Khalifa Early Education Experts: The UAE is a global model for early childhood care
Amal Al-Afeefi: The Award effectively contributed to the advancement of scholarly research that predicts the trajectory of early childhood.
Abu Dhabi: June 03, 2024
International experts in the field of early childhood education confirmed that the United Arab Emirates is leading a series of strategies, programs, initiatives, and projects that are exemplary for early childhood growth. The UAE’s foresight in this sector enhances early childhood social and educational upbringing while providing a healthy and inclusive environment.
Experts praised the UAE’s initiative to introduce the Khalifa International Award for Early Learning within the Khalifa Award fields for Education. The initiative is mainly appreciated in enriching research and practice in this sector.
This came during the Khalifa International Award for Early Learning Field Awarding Committee’s meeting, which was held in Abu Dhabi in the presence of Professor Steven Barnett, founding director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University, head of the Awarding Committee, and Professor Iram Siraj, professor of child development and education at the University of Oxford, Professor Nirmala Rao from the University of Hong Kong, Professor Jana Fleming, Director of the Early Childhood Development Department at the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, Fatima Ahmed Al Bastaki, Director of a group of schools and Director of the Chinese Language Teaching Project at the Ministry of Education in the United Arab Emirates, as well as Dr. Louay Jeroudi, the advisor to the Khalifa International Award for Early Learning field.
Amal Al-Afeefi, Secretary-General of the Khalifa Award for Education, pointed out this meeting’s vital role in assessing and progressing the agenda for Early childhood. The meeting included experts specializing in early childhood worldwide, as the Awarding Committee reviewed the last session’s achievements and learnings for this pioneering global field. The Committee presented and deliberated on its plan for the next cycle to enhance and support its vision of early childhood education and shed light on the best scientific and applied practices adopted by prestigious international institutions in early education.
Al-Afeefi furthermore indicated that the award succeeded in enriching academic research aimed to explore the future of early childhood, stressing the outstanding committee efforts under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Khalifa Award for Education who launched the Khalifa International Award for Early Learning Field and brought up new horizons to what this Field has accomplished locally and worldwide in terms of early learning innovation.
Al-Afeefi further elaborated that the committee agreed on the action plan and future objectives to improve the subsequent sessions. This included supporting and enhancing the profile of the Award at specialized international conferences and forums pertaining to early childhood education and care. The forthcoming agenda comprises winners of previous awards to foster stronger ties with the academic sectors through exchanging knowledge and experiences that contribute to advancing the early childhood care.