Week Five: Getting to Know Your International Contacts- Part 2

I talked with Astarte again this week, this time regarding the topics of excellence and equity in early childhood programs in Cairo. When I talked with her previously, she noted the great disparity between programs that existed for the wealthy and those for the poor/publicly funded populations. Children who attend the publicly funded schools generally do not receive the same level of care or education that children who attend private schools do. They may be taught by teachers who do not have formal training in child development or early childhood education. This lack of education may lead to a curriculum or teaching/classroom management style that is not developmentally appropriate. Cairo also has a larger equity issue based on a lack of gender equality. While this is being slowly addressed across Egypt, girls unilaterally receive fewer opportunities for education than boys.