‘Guide to National Standards for the Nurseries’ reviewed

MUSCAT: The Ministry of Social Development is working to set up 'Guide to National Standards for the Nurseries and their Classification Mechanism', which aims at improving the role of nurseries in order to create a child-friendly educational and pedagogical environment, supported by professional cadres capable of providing services and programmes that suit children needs as well as providing basic health care that matches their age characteristics. While creating a conscious trend towards a comprehensive development of society, the Ministry is keen to pay attention to early childhood as one of the important stages in the individual’s life in terms of shaping and building his personality, identifying his interests in this stage and creating his attitude towards the whole world. In order to enrich the project with the proposals, which is still in its initial stages, the Ministry organized on Sunday a workshop for 90 participants, aiming at activating the principle of partnership between different institutions and parties concerned with children to achieve an integrated work frame. The two-day workshop also aimed at review the guide, enrich it with proposals from various fields to come out with an integrated version. The guide draft covers many aspects about construction of nurseries such as administrative procedures, facilities and equipment, educational programmes and staff, safety and health standards, nutrition services, community partnership, children with disabilities. The participants in the workshop represented ministries of Social Development, Health, Education, Manpower, Regional Municipalities and Water Resources. In addition to Royal Oman Police, Sultan Qaboos University, Public Authority for Civil Defense and Ambulance, Public authority of Consumer Protection, members of Child Rights Convention, Nizwa University, Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as a number of private schools, Omani women's associations, Children First Association and the Early Intervention Center. By Zainab al Nassri