Speakers

Dr Cherine Khallaf
National Expert, Educational Programme, UNESCO

Biography

Dr. Cherine holds a PhD in Social Economics and Statistics , University of Rome - La Sapienza, and a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Development, University of Bologna, Italy. She has 20 years of experience in the area of sustainable development, where she has worked with a number of international and governmental agencies, as well as universities. Currently, she is the National Expert of the Educational Programme at the UNESCO in Cairo. She supervises the implementation and management of early childhood development programmes in Egypt, Sudan and Yemen.

c.khallaf@unesco.org

 

Presentation Abstract

Elements of Successful Informal Education for Children

One of the focus areas of the UNESCO is education in early childhood. This critical phase includes the most important cornerstones that help in shaping the child's mind and personality. It is a period of growth and development of the child’s mental, emotional, and psychological capacities, which help him to acquire basic life skills necessary for academic achievement in later stages of education. This phase also includes the child’s transition period from the family care to start his journey of dealing with institutions and the surrounding environment, and the impact of that on his ability to communicate and adapt to the institutions, and to improve his mental, psychological, and social performance.

The educational process in early childhood is usually in the context of informal education or pre-school education, which seeks to enable the child to gain experiences and skills through interaction with the family and the environment, as well as the cultural heritage prevailing in the society. On the other hand, economic and social conditions prevailing in many of the Egyptian communities may lead to a child deprived of access to formal or official education upon reaching the age of enrollment in basic education. Hence, the pivotal role of informal education is evident to bridge that gap and to address this phenomenon. To ensure the success of informal education, the following important success elements must be provided:

• The educational material must be appropriate to the child’s interests.

• Diversity of education levels to adapt to the needs of learners of different age groups must be provided.

• The educational process must be flexible

• Concerned parties must collaborate.

• Teachers must be trained on different educational methods.