Do they not carry traditional values such as indigenous knowledge, cultural expressions and social fabric for them to be considered as ‘advanced’ other than in the economic sense?
Dr. Kaiser Bengali stated that the reality is that the poor, particularly the children, are caught in the cycle of flood and drought, desertification, communal violence, unrestrained population growth, wretched educational facilities and the ebbing employment and income generation opportunities. Ms. Helena Norberg Hodge, speaking from Australia, explained that development and developmental slogans such as ‘free trade’, ‘free market’, ‘Education for All’, ‘Millennium Development Goals’ etc. inherently favor transnational corporate producers and has become a big business, preoccupied more with its own growth and incentives than with the people it was originally created to serve.
Early Childhood Development in Pakistan - Opportunities & Challenges
During the early years secure and safe relationships, a healthy and nutritious diet, a conducive setting where children are allowed to freely express and learn, an environment where children are regularly spoken to and heard, where they are taught meaningful social values and morals all tend to act as a vaccination against later health problems, social and emotional ineptitude and learning incompetence. Early Childhood Development (ECD) is an umbrella term for a variety of such interventions that help young children, their families and other caregivers by providing holistic support in childcare, education, health, nutrition and parent support.
Prof. Anita Ghulam Ali initiated the discussion by stating that in Pakistan, as acknowledged by the Ministry of Education, there is no formal provision for Early Childhood Education (ECE) strategies. Furthermore, the NGOs/private sector, albeit dynamic and innovative, does not have the financial and human resources required to implement a program on the scale that the government can.
The conference was inaugurated by Mr. Ghulam Ali Shah Pasha, Former Secretary Education, Govt. of Sindh who informed the participants that the Government had taken a step forward by forming a technical steering committee on ECD initiatives in Sindh. He also appreciated the efforts of SEF for bringing together agencies from all over the country for better coordination of ECD related projects. Dr. Baela Raza Jamil stated that ECD programs have comprehensive advantages as they seek to improve both the educational, nutritional and health status of the child and his or her family, simultaneously gathering community support. Ms. Wendy Griffin gave an intriguing overview of the RCC Programme, one of the most thriving ECD programs being implemented in 155 government schools of Sindh and Balochistan by various local NGOs and sponsored by AKF-P and USAID.
