Early childhood education needs attention in Egypt, Arab states CAIRO: Hosted in Cairo for the first time, the Sixth Education for All (EFA) High Level Discussion summit focused Monday on one of the most overlooked development issues in the Arab Middle East - early childhood education. According to Unesco's EFA Global Monitoring Report 2007, childhood education "remains the forgotten link in the education chain in many regions and that half the world's countries have no early childhood care and education policy for children under age three. According to Minister of Education Yosri Al-Gamal, there are 6,539 schools that cater for early childhood care in Egypt, enrolling 534,000 children or 16 percent of children under the age of five. Al-Gamal said there are plans to increase the enrollment percentage to 60 percent by the year 2010. This would be combined with attention to the quality of the offered education, he added. This project could cost more than at LE 570 million, 50 percent of which will be provided by the government and the rest from international organizations and foreign aid. These projects include expanding the construction of new schools, and replacing or renovating old ones; increasing participation of civil society; activating teacher preparation centers; and spreading awareness among the public about the importance of preschool. But Egypt is only one of several Arab states which fall behind other developing countries in terms of early childhood schooling. While participation in Latin America and the Caribbean reaches 62 percent, it falls to 16 percent in Arab states, according to the report. Although enrollment has increased in preschool education, the rapid population growth makes the final enrollment percentage low, said Abdel Moneam Othman, director of the regional Unesco office, based in Beirut. "Most countries, especially developing countries, haven't included this stage of education in their priorities, Othman added. The solution to this negligence lies in a change of policy. "We hope that in each country and region there is a political force pushing [for preschool education]. . And that it is included in national plans to fight poverty, said Othman. "The most important element is the political will. But for Egypt, a country that is still struggling with its adult illiteracy rates, early childhood schooling isn't classified as essential education. In spite of government efforts to include classes for children under five in public schools, this type of education isn't a requirement. "The will and the plans are there, said Al-Gamal in reference to preschool education. He said now new public schools are being built to include two classes for this stage. Studies on the effects of early childhood education showed that child participation "led to increased IQ at age five, higher rates of graduation from secondary school and higher earnings, with overall benefits exceeding costs at a ratio of 17:1, explained a Unesco statement.
