A SIGNING CEREMONY to restructure the early childhood curriculum in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) was held last week by officials of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Economic Planning and the Organization of American States (OAS)/ Development Cooperation Fund (DCF) project.

The ceremony was held on Thursday March, 29, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Conference Room.

Director of Economic Planning, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Laura Anthony- Browne said, in the 2013-2025 development plan, the government of SVG identifies Early Childhood Education as critical to the development of the nation’s human capital and it established, as a priority, the enhancement of early childhood education.

Browne, on behalf of the government, took the opportunity to applaud the entrepreneurial spirit which has fueled the opening of several preschools in the country. The Director of Economic Planning said it is the government’s wish to provide guidelines and standards which support the pre-schools within the dynamics of the 21st Century. Browne also thanked the OAS for its generous contribution.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education Morine Williams noted that goal no. 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) which deals with education in the post 2015 development agenda, aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all.

Williams said the Ministry is cognizant of the fact that the curriculum plays an essential role in enabling quality learning, a crucial element necessary for the attaining of this goal.

The Permanent Secretary said the curriculum determines whether education is inclusive and its provision equitable. She added that the curriculum therefore provides a bridge between education and development.

She said the pre-primary/ pre-school curriculum currently in use in SVG has been in existence for 15 years and noted that since then, there had been major strides in the early childhood sector. Williams however emphasized that the curriculum must evolve and reflect the changes of the times.

Senior Education Officer, Early Childhood, Ministry of Education, National Reconciliation and Information, Gweneth Cambridge in her remarks thanked all stake holders for their contribution towards this important initiative.

Administrative Technician of the OAS in St Vincent and the Grenadines, Diana Brown said the project seeks to promote universal access to and strengthen the equitable delivery of comprehensive and quality childhood development for all children from the earliest stages of development, specifically through the creation of a unified, project-based and student centered curriculum.

Brown also said that education is regarded as one of the critical pillars for human and economic development, and the development and molding of young minds, is a crucial first step. Brown emphasized the OAS’s commitment to the social and economic development of St. Vincent and the Grenadines through education.

The first phase for the provision of universal access to and the strengthening of delivery of comprehensive and quality early childhood education in SVG will be executed at a cost