The World Forum on Early Childhood Care and Education 2011 brought to beautiful Hawaii over 1000 delegates from around the world who shared a common interest in the welfare of children from birth to about age 8 years. Delegates representing many Muslim countries were quite visible. Attendants included university professors, government officials, preschool teachers and administrators.
The most interesting thing I learnt as a delegate attending the World Forum, was that in many parts of the world, schools operate successfully without a building. Persons who are convinced that children should be educated, regardless of their circumstance, find creative ways of developing schooling programs to meet the needs of children, their families and the community. While some school models showcased at the World Forum, held May 2 -6, were developed for affluent societies such as the schools of Reggio Emilia in Italy, a variety of innovative models were also developed for children who were orphans, homeless, living in war zones or extremely poor.