Kinshasa: Deputy Minister Jean-Pierre Kezamudru launches the first Pre-school Education Symposium

On behalf of Minister Raïssa Malu, Jean-Pierre Kezamudru Musisiri, Deputy Minister of National Education and New Citizenship (EDU-NC), launched the first Preschool Education Symposium on Thursday, August 8, in Kinshasa.

Launched on Thursday, August 8, the symposium will conclude on Friday, August 9, 2024. This event is being held in Kinshasa under the theme “Early childhood education: everyone’s responsibility and a right for every child.”

In his remarks, the Deputy Minister of EDU-NC noted that preschool enhances children’s learning outcomes and prepares them for school.

"Society as a whole, which has invested in appropriate care for children from a very young age, also benefits from this through increased worker productivity on the one hand, and a reduction in risky behaviors that more often lead to delinquency on the other," Deputy Minister Jean-Pierre Kezamudru essentially stated.

Following this symposium, the proposals and recommendations formulated will be submitted to the Government and other institutions of the Republic in the form of a task force, with a view to incorporating early childhood education into various initiatives.

This symposium also served as a valuable opportunity for UNESCO to reaffirm its commitments.

Mr. Isaias Barreto Da Rosa, Secretary-General of UNESCO, emphasized his institution’s vision for early childhood education as the foundation and cornerstone of human development and education in particular.

"This is a crucial step in implementing the recommendations of the World Conference on Early Childhood Education and Care held in Uzbekistan in November 2022. One of the priority recommendations of that conference is to increase and improve investments in this area as an integral and essential part of countries’ strategies to achieve lifelong learning societies and truly sustainable development,” he said.

They are supported by the World Organization for Early Childhood Education in the DRC, as well as by the Agency for the Promotion of Education.

Willy Kambulu and Nodriche Kasaï