PRAIA, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Global Partnership for Education (GPE), in partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund or UNICEF, on Monday announced a grant of 5 million U.S. dollars to improve access to and quality of early childhood education in Cape Verde.
David Matern, the UNICEF representative in Cape Verde, highlighted the importance of the five-year initiative at the launch of a program to support priority education reforms in the country. "This 5 million U.S. dollars investment will support pre-primary education and strengthen the foundations of basic education," he said.
The program, funded by GPE and implemented alongside UNICEF, aims to ensure that more children attend kindergarten, which Matern said will help Cape Verde "build a stronger and more resilient human capital base."
Cape Verde's Minister of Education Amadeu Cruz emphasized that a key focus of the funding will be to modernize kindergartens and work toward universal access. "Our priority is the training of early childhood educators and primary school teachers," he said.
The initiative will also include the development of educational and recreational materials, strengthening partnerships with local authorities and civil society, and improving facilities to ensure that children with special needs have access to inclusive care and learning environments. ■