Theirworld, with the partnership and support of the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education – RACE PMU (Reaching All Children with Education – Project Management Unit) and the Center for Educational Research and Development (CERD), held a workshop to initiate a pilot project for Special Educational Needs. This pilot project is specific to the inclusion of children in Early Childhood Education classes for Syrian learners in five second-shift schools in Lebanon.
Theirworld, a UK-based NGO, will launch this project in Lebanon through the SKILD Center as its implementing agency and the Center of Applied Research in Education (CARE) at the Notre Dame University (NDU) as its research partner. The purpose is to maximize the capacities of prep-ECE educators and unleash the potential of every child with special educational needs.
Prep-ECE joins the three preschool stages in one year while ensuring that children enter first grade having acquired the necessary prerequisites for learning. This is critical because the golden years of educational intervention are during ECE classes when the child’s cognitive abilities are still developing.
During the 2019-2020 academic year, this project will train and support teachers, volunteers and school leaders to assess and support Syrian learners aged 5-6 in the Prep-ECE class. Learners identified as having special needs will benefit from individualized support provided by SKILD specialists engaged in the project. SKILD will provide training to teachers and class volunteers, orientation for school leaders and orientation workshops for parents.
Press release
Theirworld launches inclusive classrooms project in Lebanon for early years
Syrian learners with special needs
Global education charity Theirworld, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education – RACE PMU, and the Center for Education Research and Development (CERD), have launched a pilot project for Special Educational Needs inclusion in five “Prep-ECE” Early Childhood Education classes for Syrian learners in second-shift schools in Lebanon.
Implementation of the pilot project will be supported by Lebanese NGO Smart Kids with Individual Learning Differences (SKILD), working with the Center for Applied Research in Education (Notre Dame University – Louaize).
During the 2019-2020 academic year, this innovative pilot project will train and support teachers, volunteers and school leaders to assess and support Syrian learners aged five and six in the Prep-ECE class. The project will pay specific attention to learners identified as having special needs, who will benefit from individualised and specialist support.
Justin van Fleet, President of Theirworld commented, “Early Childhood Education is the most important stage in a child’s development. Research shows that 90% of children’s brains develop before they are five years old, and projects such as this are crucial to helping some of the most vulnerable children get the best possible start in life. The long term gains for individuals, the communities in which they live and wider society cannot be overstated.”
Notes
- Theirworld is a UK based children’s charity committed to ending the global education crisis. Through project work in Lebanon, Theirworld has reached thousands of Syrian and Lebanese learners since 2013, with nutrition, coding skills, teacher training, and innovative approaches – including catalysing the implementation of the double-shift system that has given more than 200,000 Syrian learners access to schools.
- The inclusive classrooms project is funded by the players of People’s Postcode Lottery and delivered by Theirworld.
For more information: media@theirworld.org
Website: https://theirworld.org/
