Salwan Education Trust conducted an International Symposium on “Learning from Progressive Countries’. Under the banner of Navtika in a virtual mode on 25th February 2023. Dr. Indu Khetrapal, Editor-in-chief, Navtika, in her opening address, extended her heartfelt greetings to all the attendees and gave a brief background of NAVTIKA Journal, being published quarterly. Dr. Khetarpal detailed the experience of the teachers’ visit to Finland, where a lot of care and respect is given to the child. The Finnish Education System combines the best and the latest learning philosophies, models, and practices with continuous development to meet the highest standards in education. She emphasized that early childhood is a phase of intense development and learning. She laid emphasis on School Family partnership. Parents must participate in the child’s education, and the schools must come forward and support them so that everyone grows together.  

The keynote address was made by Dr.Kathyrn Murray. She began the session by saying that the children are the future of humanity, and they are the ones who will make their decisions for themselves and make their own life choices as well. As an educationist, we must make sure that we use research, best practices, intuition, and experience to provide valuable and enriched learning opportunities in our early learning settings to recognize the development of each child. She also added that we should support the development of the whole child, which includes the social, emotional, spiritual, cognitive, and physical language areas to set them up for life. She asserted that it is essential to recognize children’s interests and apply them in defining spaces to have a home-like feel and focus on skill development. So, as educators, we must give children their human skills to be successful in the future. Our responsibility is to empower a child to be confident, independent, resilient, and valued through our teaching approach and not prepare children for the year ahead or their job webs. It’s essential to look beyond and think about the type of society we are shaping and creating a calm, engaging, rich, playful, and fun learning environment. 

Further, Ms. Manisha Goel, the moderator welcomed the panelists Ms. Anju Mehta, Dr. Komal Verma, Ms. Paramjeet Kaur Dhillon, and Dr. Dapinder Kaur Gill for the panel discussion. Ms. Anju Mehta emphasized the importance of incorporating critical thinking early for the child to be an excellent 21st-century citizen. Dr. Komal added that children who start strong are likely to have better outcomes. It is necessary to provide supportive conditions for early learning and development rather than trying to remedy the consequences of early adversities later. Ms. Paramjeet opined that for innovative learning, the curriculum should be innovative. If a teacher has a teaching style, the student also has a learning style. She added that Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence plays a very important role in teaching wherein we can incorporate all those nine intelligences Dr. Dapinder Kaur said that ECC is important not only for children but also for teachers and parents. Dr. Dapinder Kaur Gill gave her views on the conflicting areas for educators and for children. The educators can work on the 21st-century skills keeping each child in the mind. 

There has been much discussion regarding inclusion plans and how crucial they are in early childhood settings for which Ms Manisha invited them Dr Tannu and Dr. Yashashri Vispute to talk about Inclusive education that allows students of all backgrounds to learn and grow side by side, to the benefit of all. She said that the next part that comes is equality after creating equal opportunities, equal assets, and equal resources for people who are from different backgrounds. The parents also need to differentiate between the disorder and the developmental milestones. So, the teachers and the caretakers need to be educated enough to build a proper environment for the child for appropriate growth.  

The interactive fora helped in disseminating information to other practitioners through intense deliberations and discussions to understand the changing paradigm in the field of education. The Symposium concluded with key takeaways that embracing change and building resilience are key factors in ensuring quality early childhood education. By staying up to date with current research and best practices, creating a positive and supportive learning environment, promoting effective communication, and practicing self-care, educators can help to build a strong foundation for the children in their care.