UNESCO IITE together with University of Childhood co-organized the 4th International Practical Online Conference “University of Childhood: Noteworthy Practices”. The event was held June 1-2, 2023 and was dedicated to early childhood care and education.
The conference is an annual large-scale event in the field of preschool education, which brings together participants from numerous countries and allows participants to learn about the best practices of preschool educators from other regions.
UNESCO: Commitment to Transform Early Care and Childhood Education
Director of UNESCO IITE, Mr. Tao Zhan welcomed the participants during the opening ceremony of the event and emphasized the importance of early care and childhood education (ECCE) to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Mr. Tao Zhan also mentioned that in November, 2022 Tashkent hosted UNESCO World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education (WCECCE 2022). The event gathered ministers, heads and members of delegations, representatives of United Nations agencies, development cooperation agencies, civil society organizations, education agents and experts from around the world.
The outcome of the high-level conference was Tashkent Declaration and Commitments to Action for Transforming Early Childhood Care and Education.
Use of ICT in Early Care and Childhood Education
Ms. Natalia Amelina, Senior National Project Officer in Education, Chief of Unit of Teacher Professional Development and Networking was a member of the programme committee of the conference “University of Childhood: Noteworthy Practices”.
In the framework of the event, there were a number of discussions dedicated to some important issues of preschool education.
Ms. Natalia Amelina moderated the discussion “New Technologies: to accept or to leave?” This part of the conference was devoted to the use of ICT in preschool education.
During this particular session, the experts discussed the risks that appear with the advent of new technologies, and how the attitude of teachers and families towards them is constantly changing. Moreover, the participants raised the question of whether emerging new professions connected to the IT sector would affect the educational curriculum of early childhood care and education.
Acknowledgements
UNESCO IITE expresses gratitude to the event’s co-organizer University of Childhood for the continuous support, as well as to Rybakov Foundation and the partners of the Conference.