The Open Society Early Childhood Program has helped establish an advanced course for early childhood professionals at the Institute for Educational Development (IED), BRAC University in Bangladesh. Three modular postgraduate programs (certificate, diploma, and MA) were developed by a team of international professors and co-delivered jointly with Bangladeshi professors.
Launched in 2008, the course has enrolled 59 students across three cohorts, 13 of whom are from government departments working on child focused issues. In 2010 the first 12 participants graduated from the master’s program and 21 participants of the second cohort completed the certificate course. Through this initiative IED has gained capacity to customize modules for preschool teachers, supervisors and other midlevel early childhood development practitioners across sectors as well as using course content to develop an advocacy package for Members of Parliament in Bangladesh.
The courses are also gaining wide recognition internationally, and IED has already received requests from students in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Burma and Pakistan. The Open Society Foundations are considering introducing these courses in other regions, such as Central Asia, that are also in need of initiatives that build capacity of mid-level early childhood development professionals.