Launch of the pre-school curriculum in the Central African Republic

The Minister of Education, His Excellency, Aboubakar Moukadas-Noure, and the Deputy Representative of UNICEF in the Central African Republic, Mr Abdoulaye Seye, launched, on Thursday 13 April at the Bangui Centre nursery school, the preschool curriculum in the Central African Republic, the first of its kind in the country.

Speaking at the event, the Minister stressed the importance of pre-school education in the country: "Our expectations in the sector are enormous because pre-school is a specific and vital area in education. With this pre-school curriculum package, we now have a quality document to accompany the training of our teachers and pedagogical activities in the learning process for both teachers and toddlers.

For his part, Mr Seye said: "For children to be better prepared for schooling and future life, they must be well equipped cognitively, physically, emotionally, socially and linguistically, and the best way to start is in pre-school. Teachers and parents need to know and believe that problem solving, emotions, imagination and creativity are dispositions and skills that are particularly necessary for the success of our children, and that these cannot be learned without a holistic education which begins in preschool.”

For the last year, the Ministry of Education, with support from UNICEF, has been developing a comprehensive curriculum with the necessary pedagogical materials for children, organising training of trainers on the subject.

Commenting on the launch, the Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait, Ms. Yasmine Sherif, said: " “This pre-school curriculum is such an important milestone for the children of the Central African Republic! Learning through play is a core priority for ECW. Through our Multi-Year Resilience Programme, our support to this crucial stage of learning will unlock young children’s potential and provide fun, protection and wellbeing in this challenging crisis context.”

With funding and support from Education Cannot Wait, UNICEF will support the Government of the Central African Republic to expand the curriculum across the country.