The Early Childhood Education Curriculum Enhancement and Pedagogy Project (2017 – 2022) is a five-year capacity-building initiative organised by the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) and Muktangan Education Trust, a non-profit organisation that supports municipal schools in Mumbai.??

The project aimed to raise professional standards and quality of the Early Childhood Education (ECE) sector in Mumbai, through enhanced ECE curriculum and pedagogy at Muktangan schools as well as other non-profit ECE schools there.?

Since 2017, the SIF’s team of Singapore International Volunteers (SIVs), comprising pioneers and leaders from the ECE sector in Singapore, worked closely with about 700 Indian educators from Mumbai. Together, they have completed a series of in-person and online workshops, dialogues, and a study visit and a symposium as a part of the project.??

2. What are the major focus areas for this project??

The project was designed to strengthen the areas of programme delivery, student learning and teacher development. The educators from Singapore and India collaborated and exchanged knowledge, skills and resources to enhance teaching methodology and curate a curriculum that aids child development and growth.??

Topics such as parent interactions and involvement, teacher appraisals, play facilitation, social development, classroom learning environments, inclusive practices, and early interventions were covered during the project.??

3. Are there any online resources curated for this programme???

The SIVs have developed an online resource – a Teacher’s Resource Facilitation Guide – with content from the workshops. This content will be useful for continued learning and pedagogical skills development of the ECE practitioners in Mumbai.??

4. How does early childhood education play a role in a child’s growth??

Early childhood education is an essential building block of a child’s growth. It helps children develop social and cognitive skills during their crucial early years which will positively impact their learning and growth in later years. It lays a firm foundation for their physical, intellectual, social, and emotional development. We are thus privileged to have collaborated with Muktangan Education Trust on this initiative to help ensure that children in Mumbai have access to quality formative education.?

5. How has the programme influenced cross cultural learning between the two countries??

The series of in-person and online workshops, dialogues, and study visit provided opportunities for professional sharing and knowledge exchange between the educators from both countries. From the discussions and activities, they were challenged to think about what makes teaching and learning effective in different environments and cultural settings. This, in turn, resulted in better understanding of the different needs and techniques required. It also led to budding friendships among the educators and fostered a long-term camaraderie.??

6. How has the programme benefited Indian students??

The project equipped 34 Indian educators with the relevant skills and knowledge to train other ECE educators. At least 3,400 Indian ECE educators learned how to improve curricula and picked up new pedagogical and assessment skills through the project. Collectively, about 45,000 educators and students in Maharashtra have benefitted from this project.?

One of the participating teachers from India witnessed positive results after she had incorporated the new techniques in her classroom. She found the students to be more engaged and interested when the new storytelling and numeracy techniques and holistic teaching curriculum were used. The students were also more confident when transitioning from the pre-school to primary school level.??

We are also heartened to learn that our partner Muktangan Education Trust has launched a curriculum enhancement programme with ECHO India, where they are cascading their learnings from this project through a tele-mentoring model. Through initiatives such as these,?knowledge gained is shared with a larger number of educators and subsequently, students?

7. What are the next steps with this programme, going forward??

The five-year project has successfully concluded with a closing ceremony in Mumbai in November 2022. However, sustainability is always at the core of SIF’s projects. Through the train-the-trainers approach, the Master Trainers are equipped to train other ECE educators. This builds capability and capacity at the individual and organisational levels and amplifies the project’s impact and sustainability in the long run. The development of Teacher’s Resource Facilitation Guide also ensures continued learning and skills development among the ECE practitioners in Mumbai.?

We are encouraged by the results of this collaboration which was driven by the dedication of our early childhood educators from Singapore and India. We look forward to more opportunities to work with our friends in India to uplift lives and build a better world.?