(This article was first published in the New Vision website on March 28, 2023)
By Prossy Nandudu
The second Early Childhood Care and Education symposium is underway at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala.
Organised by the education ministry, with support from Plan International, the symposium is aimed at identifying challenges in the early childhood development sector and suggest solutions so as to offer inclusive education.
According to UNICEF, preschools offering early childhood education are predominately privately-run and located in urban areas.
While those in communities receive very little state funding, are under-equipped, often lack the bare essentials such as clean water and toilets and are managed by untrained volunteers.
UNICEF adds that investing in the early years of young children is not only in the best interest of children, but also key to developing human capital for the country.
The event that kicked off on Tuesday (March 28) and ends on Wednesday (March 29), has attracted stakeholders from government entities, education development partners, researchers, civil society organisations, teachers, training associations, faith based and academia, among others.
