"In carrying out its role as the chair of ASEAN this year, Indonesia collaborates with Southeast Asian countries to accelerate the transformation of ECCE," the ministry's Director General of Early Childhood, Primary, and Secondary Education, Iwan Syahril, stated here on Tuesday.
At the Southeast Asia Policy Dialogue on Early Childhood Care and Education (SEA PD on ECCE) forum, held on July 25-26, 2023, in Jakarta, Syahril expressed the need to expedite ECCE transformation to overcome the impact of disruptions in early childhood learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He explained that the ministry has modified the ECCE curriculum to be more responsive to the times by providing various learning methods.
In addition, he said, the government opens opportunities for multisectoral collaboration to improve the quality of ECCE.
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However, he also emphasized that the need still exists for designing a resilient curriculum to support post-pandemic learning recovery.
In order to realize a resilient ECCE, he said, curriculum-making needs to pay attention to global conditions, gender equality, climate change, and inclusive education.
Syahril expressed optimism that the SEA PD on ECCE can be a dialogue forum to advance ECCE.
"I hope today's conference can be an opportunity for ASEAN countries to bring together ideas by sharing good practices in the provision of quality ECCE services," he stated.
This year, Indonesia is leading the ASEAN Chairmanship for the fifth time, with the theme of "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth," which focuses on the region's relevance, both regionally and globally.
Indonesia welcomed 200 participants comprising education ministers from Southeast Asian countries, ambassadors of Southeast Asian countries to Indonesia, as well as hundreds of delegates and speakers at the SEA PD on ECCE forum.
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Translator: Astrid H, Kenzu
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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