Dubai: Dubai Cares is supporting a new Dh5.5 million programme in Mexico that will stimulate millions of young children’s learning of maths and science and address gender inequality in early learning.
The charity organisation, part of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, is joining forces with Sesame Workshop to support the new programme, which is expected to benefit 1.5 million children between the ages of three and six and their families in the next three years.
The new multi-media programme that focuses on enhancing the quality of early educational experiences in maths and science will include a web-based series, training programme, and resources for families and educators and is expected to help and inspire parents and caregivers to become more closely involved in their children’s education.
In recent years, Mexico has successfully established universal access to basic education and compulsory early childhood education, but there remains a critical need for stronger maths and science instruction for young children, and a persistent disparity in the quality of education between boys and girls, Dubai Cares said.
Tareq Al Gurg, Dubai Cares chief executive officer, said Dubai Cares identified a programme that will effectively address the many difficulties children, teachers, and schools face when it comes to early childhood education, especially when it comes to the learning experience and teachers’ capacity.
“Working closely with our strategic partner, Sesame Workshop, our aim is to address the issues of gender bias around maths and science starting early and through an ecological approach that starts in the home and extends into schools and the media. We are expecting results that will enrich the education process for all children, no matter if they are boys or girls, especially in parts of the country that are currently deprived of quality maths and science resources,” he said.
There will also be a media outreach effort to address gender stereotypes by encouraging a positive portrayal of girls, their potential, and their right to an equal education.
Mada Al Suwaidi, Senior Country Programme Officer at Dubai Cares, said, “We live in a world where maths, science and technology have become the drivers of social and economic change and, thanks to this new programme, we will be able to help Mexico’s children — girls as well as boys — become the country’s next generation of entrepreneurs, inventors, scientists, medical professionals and business people.”
