Early Childhood Development in Qatar : Status and Opportunities for the Future
Early childhood development (ECD) is a multidimensional process that takes place from conception until age five. These years mark the most important period for an individual's development. In this period, the building blocks of the brain and n...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2017
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/666721510643002582/Early-childhood-development-in-Qatar-status-and-opportunities-for-the-future http://hdl.handle.net/10986/28950 |
| Summary: | Early childhood development (ECD) is a
multidimensional process that takes place from conception
until age five. These years mark the most important period
for an individual's development. In this period, the
building blocks of the brain and nervous system are formed,
and critical skills and capacities begin to develop across a
number of interrelated domains (Nelson 2000). Despite this
ample international evidence, the state of ECD in Qatar has
thus far been understudied. Child development outcomes in
Qatar are below what is expected given its level of economic
development. Gaps in self-regulation skills persist, with a
third of children ages three and four being unable to attend
to, and focus on, simple tasks without being distracted
easily. As a tripartite collaboration between the World
Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) at Qatar Foundation,
the Ministry of Education and Higher Education of the State
of Qatar and the World Bank, this study begins to fill this
gap by providing an overview of the state of ECD in Qatar
and setting forward recommendations to strengthen ECD in the
country. The report first analyzes ECD outcomes in Qatar,
examining how Qatar fares in five ECD domains compared to
other countries. Section two builds the evidence base in the
Qatari context by testing whether specific ECD programs are
associated with improved child outcomes in the country.
Section three takes a systemic view, analyzing the policies
that govern ECD in Qatar and offers recommendations for
their enhancement. Finally, section four concludes with a
summary of key policy recommendations and some
considerations for their implementation. |
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