Director general of early childhood education, basic education, and secondary education at the ministry, Iwan Syahril, said that inclusivity is being encouraged in the planning, monitoring, and evaluation stages.
"We are focusing on several things to accelerate the transformation of PAUD, including the provision and implementation of inclusive (and) quality PAUD," Syahril informed during the Southeast Asia Policy Dialogue on Early Childhood Care and Education (SEA PD on ECCE) Forum in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Currently, the government is intensively accelerating the transformation of PAUD to overcome backwardness in learning and developmental stages of early childhood triggered by the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.
Besides inclusivity, making a smooth transition from PAUD to elementary school, which is an important part of the Independent Learning program, is also an important aspect of determining the success of the PAUD transformation, Syahril said.
Related news: Access, policies essential to improve PAUD services: Ministry
According to him, another main focus of the ministry is ensuring collaboration in the PAUD ecosystem, which includes schools, local governments, teachers, parents, and the community.
Collaboration is also being carried out by cooperating with countries in Southeast Asia to accelerate PAUD transformation, including through the SEA PD on the ECCE forum, which is a part of Indonesia's 2023 chairmanship of ASEAN.
He said that the forum is expected to design an early childhood curriculum that has resilience in supporting sustainable development.
This is considered important since the curriculum must also pay attention to the conditions of global society, gender equality, climate change, and inclusive education to support PAUD services that are resilient in facing various challenges, he explained.
"This forum is a productive space to collaborate in transforming and improving the quality of PAUD services in the Southeast Asia region," Syahril said.
Related news: Education must hone children's holistic abilities: Minister
Translator: Astrid Faidlatul H, Resinta S
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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