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SINGAPORE, Oct. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC) will host its inaugural international conference with the theme "Inspiring Excellence in Early Childhood Practice," on 17 to 18 October 2024 in celebration of its 5th Anniversary. Held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, the first day of the conference will bring together over 1,000 early childhood (EC) professionals, including educators, leaders, researchers, and policy makers, providing an engaging platform for professional exchange and thought leadership in early childhood education.
Guest of Honour Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Education, will deliver the keynote address, where he will share his perspectives on early childhood education and share NIEC announcements that will impact the early childhood sector.
Reflecting on NIEC's five years of impact on uplifting the quality of early childhood educator training, Mrs Loke-Yeo Teck Yong, Director and CEO of NIEC, said, "This conference is an important platform for professional exchange and celebrates the important work of early childhood educators. As we look to the future, NIEC remains committed to providing quality training and professional development for EC educators, ensuring they are well-prepared to nurture and positively influence the lives of young children in Singapore."
The conference will feature three main topic strands—Professional Development, Pedagogy and Curriculum, and Trends, Policy and Local Research—with presentations from distinguished speakers including:
- Professor Patricia Jennings (University of Virginia, USA), on "Cultivating Well-Being of Early Childhood Educators and Children in the Early Childhood Education and Care System."
- Professor Kenneth Poon (National Institute of Education, Singapore), addressing "Inclusion for Preschool Children with Developmental Needs: Where Are We? What Can We Do? And What Is Next for the Sector?"
- Professor Lynn Ang (UCL Institute of Education, UK), discussing "Shaping the Future of Early Childhood Education to Enhance Educational Equality."
The second day of the conference will be conducted virtually with 32 sessions, allowing more than 1,000 participants from all over the world to participate.
Local and international presenters will be presenting in English, Malay, Mandarin or Tamil. In addition, NIEC's faculty will speak on a range of topics that underscore NIEC's leadership in early childhood educator training.
The conference will also include an art exhibition of works by NIEC students in training to be early childhood teachers, a milestone display of NIEC's achievements, and a booth to promote local early childhood research.
Pre-conference activities on 16 October will include learning journeys to preschools and partner organisations such as the Singapore Zoo and Singapore Children's Museum, and a masterclass by Professor Patricia Jennings.
About the National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC)
NIEC is the national training institute set up in 2019 by the Ministry of Education to deliver quality training to Singapore's early childhood (EC) educators at every career stage. NIEC provides a full range of certificates and diplomas for post-secondary students and mid-careerists embarking on their EC journey. In-service educators may also take Post-diplomas and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses with NIEC to deepen their EC skills. For more information, please visit www.niec.edu.sg.
SINGAPORE, Oct. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC) will host its inaugural international conference with the theme "Inspiring Excellence in Early Childhood Practice," on 17 to 18 October 2024 in celebration of its 5th Anniversary. Held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, the first day of the conference will bring together over 1,000 early childhood (EC) professionals, including educators, leaders, researchers, and policy makers, providing an engaging platform for professional exchange and thought leadership in early childhood education.
Guest of Honour Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Education, will deliver the keynote address, where he will share his perspectives on early childhood education and share NIEC announcements that will impact the early childhood sector.
Reflecting on NIEC's five years of impact on uplifting the quality of early childhood educator training, Mrs Loke-Yeo Teck Yong, Director and CEO of NIEC, said, "This conference is an important platform for professional exchange and celebrates the important work of early childhood educators. As we look to the future, NIEC remains committed to providing quality training and professional development for EC educators, ensuring they are well-prepared to nurture and positively influence the lives of young children in Singapore."
The conference will feature three main topic strands—Professional Development, Pedagogy and Curriculum, and Trends, Policy and Local Research—with presentations from distinguished speakers including:
The second day of the conference will be conducted virtually with 32 sessions, allowing more than 1,000 participants from all over the world to participate.
Local and international presenters will be presenting in English, Malay, Mandarin or Tamil. In addition, NIEC's faculty will speak on a range of topics that underscore NIEC's leadership in early childhood educator training.
The conference will also include an art exhibition of works by NIEC students in training to be early childhood teachers, a milestone display of NIEC's achievements, and a booth to promote local early childhood research.
Pre-conference activities on 16 October will include learning journeys to preschools and partner organisations such as the Singapore Zoo and Singapore Children's Museum, and a masterclass by Professor Patricia Jennings.
About the National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC)
NIEC is the national training institute set up in 2019 by the Ministry of Education to deliver quality training to Singapore's early childhood (EC) educators at every career stage. NIEC provides a full range of certificates and diplomas for post-secondary students and mid-careerists embarking on their EC journey. In-service educators may also take Post-diplomas and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses with NIEC to deepen their EC skills. For more information, please visit www.niec.edu.sg.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
NIEC Brings Thought Leaders and Practitioners Together for 5th Anniversary Conference on Early Childhood Education
ALULA, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the official opening of Desert X AlUla 2026, the landmark fourth edition of the international, open-air biennial exhibition. Arts AlUla, in collaboration with Desert X, welcomes visitors to experience a stellar line-up of Saudi and international multi-generational artists whose site-responsive earthworks, sculptures, and installations will engage in a powerful dialogue with the awe-inspiring landscapes and layered heritage of AlUla.
As a premier destination rich in ancient history and breathtaking nature, AlUla, located in Northwest Saudi Arabia, solidifies its position on the global stage as a dynamic, emerging land art destination with Desert X AlUla, the region's first public art biennale, and a key highlight of the AlUla Arts Festival.
The 2026 edition of Desert X AlUla brings together 11 acclaimed artists whose diverse works reflect a wide spectrum of ideas, materials, and traditions. From monumental kinetic sculpture to sound-based explorations above and below ground, each commission is deeply rooted in relationships to AlUla's distinctive environment, further cementing Desert X AlUla's reputation as a globally significant platform for site-responsive land art.
Desert X AlUla runs until February 28, 2026, as a cornerstone of the annual AlUla Arts Festival. Curated by Wejdan Reda, Zoé Whitley, with artistic direction by Neville Wakefield, and Raneem Farsi, its fourth edition explores 'Space Without Measure.' Inspired by Kahlil Gibran, the theme fosters contemplation of imagination within AlUla's natural settings. The exhibition, set in the desert canyons of AlUla, serves as a pre-opening programme for Wadi AlFann, offering a pivotal glimpse into AlUla's plans to create a permanent land art 'Valley of the Arts.'
Hamad Alhomiedan, Director of Arts & Creative Industries at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), said: "At Desert X AlUla 2026, audiences will engage with art that deeply converses with AlUla's unique landscapes and rich heritage. These compelling commissions highlight AlUla's dynamic transformation into a major global destination, where ancient and contemporary expressions converge. This exhibition is part of our broader revitalisation of AlUla as a culturally rich destination to live, work and visit and integral to positioning AlUla in the global dialogue of contemporary art and as a precursor to monumental projects like Wadi AlFann."
Participating artist/artworks are:
- Sara Abdu, A Kingdom Where No One Dies: Contours of Resonance
- Mohammad Alfaraj, What was the Question Again?
- Mohammed AlSaleem, The Thorn, AlShuruf Unit, The Triangles, Flower Bud, and Al Ahilla (courtesy of Royal Commission for Riyadh City)
- Tarek Atoui, The Water Song
- Bahraini-Danish, Bloom
- Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Imole Red
- Agnes Denes, The Living Pyramid
- Ibrahim El-Salahi, Haraza Tree
- Basmah Felemban, Murmur of Pebbles
- Vibha Galhotra, Future Fables
- Héctor Zamora, Tar HyPar
For further information, please contact:
Sabrine.Shaw@bursonglobal.com
AlUlaArtsFestival@bursonglobal.com
Multimedia gallery:
High-resolution photos of all 11 artists and their artworks can be found here.
About AlUla and Arts AlUla
Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned.
The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. AlUla is also home to ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms and considered to be one of the most developed 1st millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula, and Jabal Ikmah, an open air library of hundreds of inscriptions and writings in many different languages. AlUla Old Town Village, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes was developed from at least the 12th century and has been revitalised as the vibrant hub for visitors and residents.
The creation of Arts AlUla within The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is a commitment to crafting the next chapters in a millennia of artistic creation – celebrating cultural inheritance and shaping a future inspired by artists built be artists. The work of Arts AlUla seeks to preserve this legacy: fuse the old with the new; the local with the international, keeping the arts central to the spirit of AlUla as a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage.
Wadi AlFann, meaning 'Valley of the Arts,' will be a global cultural destination for land art, unveiling from 2028 onwards, where era-defining works by artists from around the world will be permanently sited in the monumental landscape of AlUla, the extraordinary desert region of north-west Saudi Arabia.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Desert X AlUla 2026: monumental land art exhibition opens in the ancient oasis of AlUla
