Enhancing ICT Competencies of Early Childhood Educators at HEIs in MENA Countries

Early Childhood Education is considered an important base for lifelong learning and whole-person development, it is the most important and the most vital of all stages in the proper development of a child whether in the emotional, behavioural or cognitive domain. The early years of a child's life are crucial as it is of the utmost importance in the child's physical, emotional and intellectual development. In line with the current digital era, teachers are required to integrate ICT into their daily teaching and replace traditional methods with modern tools. The ICT4EDU project addresses the need in Jo-HEIs for newly graduated student teachers to be able to teach using ICT, and for improving teachers' and students' digital competencies. Especially when dealing with children with special educational needs or disabilities, ICT plays a key role in facilitating their education process. The main objective of the ICT4EDU project is to enhance the quality of ICT competencies of early childhood educators in the eight higher education institutions in Jordan, Palestine and Egypt in line with advanced EU practices, thereby enhancing the quality of the education in pre-schools in Jordan, Palestine and Egypt.