Dubai: Nurseries in the UAE are increasingly expected to impart quality learning, beyond routine childcare, the Early Years Education Conference in Dubai heard on Wednesday.

Experts said education authorities and parents expect preschool centres to ensure their children are “active learners” rather than “passive learners”.

Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, Dr Rabaa Al Sumaiti, executive director of international assessments at the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, said a survey of young students in the UAE showed a mixed bag between those who could recall meaningful lessons from their early education, to those who drew a complete blank.

“The whole concept [of pre-schooling] is changing now, from just having care — care is important, safety is important; that’s the priority — but at the same time, to having both care and learning. Because if it’s just a matter of care, people are just going to leave their children with nannies,” Al Sumaiti said.

She added that the UAE, as a whole, will for the first time participate in the 2018 round of TALIS, a leading teaching and learning international survey, which is introducing a version for KG teachers. The results will complement UAE authorities in early education policymaking, she added.

Al Sumaiti agreed with the conference discussions that preschools here and abroad are seeking internationally recognised certifications in early education.

“The more training they do, the more professional development they have; that will allow them to be more capable with children.”

The focus of the conference, organised by Dubai’s British Orchard Teachers Academy and the UK’s CACHE (Council for Awards in Care, Health and Education), discussed the “vital importance” of early years learning through play for a child’s cognitive development.

Vandana Gandhi, founder and CEO of British Orchard Nursery, said: “Early years emotional and mental growth is no child’s play — in a manner of speaking — but requires careful planning for best possible outcome. The fact remains that children get bored easily, which is why we need to infuse their day’s activities with a fun element. This is why it’s imperative that we have a suitable organisational structure in place in the educational realm that can serve as the basis for early year’s play.”