Amman, Dec. 4 (Petra) – The closing conference of the "Enhancing ICT Competencies of Early Childhood Educators at HEIs in MENA Countries" (ICT4EDU) project, supported by the European Union under the Erasmus+ program, was held Thursday at the University of Jordan. Representatives from partner universities in Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Finland, Romania, Portugal, and Italy attended the event.

The conference was inaugurated by Yasser Rayyan, Dean of Scientific Research, who highlighted the project as a pioneering model for curriculum modernization and digital literacy promotion, noting the Faculty of Educational Sciences’ role in enhancing teaching methodologies, student engagement, and professional readiness.

Fabien Schaeffer, Education and Higher Education Program Manager at the EU Delegation to Jordan, emphasized the importance of balancing digital tools with traditional teaching, citing Sweden’s experience where technology complements rather than replaces human interaction, particularly in early literacy and social skills development.

Ahmed Abu Haija, Director of the Erasmus+ National Office in Jordan, presented the program’s achievements between 2015 and 2025, including 67 higher education capacity-building projects, 49 youth projects, 20 vocational training projects, and more than 8,600 academic mobility opportunities. He noted 43 ICT-related projects, spanning higher education, youth, and vocational training sectors.

Representing Palestinian partner universities, Amer Shehadeh of Al-Istiqlal University expressed appreciation for Jordan’s support of Palestinian education, while Sameh Zubaidi, Director of International Affairs at the University of Jordan, highlighted Erasmus+ as central to the university’s internationalization strategy, with academic mobility partnerships increasing from 30 in 2023 to over 90 in 2025.

Ahmed Salaymeh, ICT4EDU regional coordinator, reviewed the project’s three-year outcomes: updating 45 courses to align with European standards, establishing four technology centers, equipping modern computer labs in nine partner universities, and organizing faculty and student workshops in Romania, Italy, Portugal, and Cyprus. Plans were outlined to further expand these initiatives in collaboration with relevant ministries and organizations.

The conference included specialized panels on education in the digital age. In one session, Khalif Tarawneh discussed the shift from digital access to digital empowerment and reimagining early childhood education in the context of the Fifth Industrial Revolution.

Sessions also addressed artificial intelligence applications, cybersecurity for children, digital resilience, curriculum development, inclusive school policies, and mechanisms for evaluating international projects to ensure quality and sustainability in education.

ICT4EDU involves 13 partner universities across Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, and Europe, aiming to enhance early childhood educators’ competencies through the integration of information and communication technologies in higher education.

//Petra// AJ

04/12/2025 18:12:02