The Improving Early Childhood Development in the West Bank and Gaza project, aims to improve the coverage and quality of targeted ECD services for children from gestation until age 5.

The orientation day was organized for kindergarten teachers who are enrolled in the KG Teacher Professional Diploma. The Diploma is a comprehensive, one-year in-service professional development program targeting private KG teachers who lack formal training in ECE. It includes modules on child-centered pedagogy, early literacy and numeracy, learning through play, socio-emotional skills, psychosocial support, and methods to cope with stress in an environment affected by fragility, conflict and violence. 

In her speech, Dr. Wafa Ashour delivered a speech on behalf of the Ministry of Education. She talked about the importance of the early childhood sector in Palestine, referring to the objectives of the diploma and its expected outputs. She also spoke about future programs aiming to develop the early childhood sector in Palestine.

Dr. Suhail Salha, the project coordinator, gave a presentation about the diploma’s components in terms of the number of units of study and their time distribution over two semesters. He also talked about the training methodology and tasks associated with the units of study.

During the Kindergarten Teachers Orientation Day, the kindergarten teachers shared their expectations on joining the KG Teacher Professional Diploma. The activities of the orientation day included training the participants on Zajel and MOODLE under the supervision of Dr. Fakhir Al-Khalili, Dr. Abdul-Ghani Al-Saifi, Ms. Heba Shtayyeh, Mr. Ahmed Al-Nubani, and Mr. Ahmed Kalbouneh. The participants concluded their visit with a tour of the University’ faculties, facilities and units.