Beirut, January 11th, 2018: The Queen Rania Foundation for Education and Development (QRF) launched its first free educational mobile application ‘Karim and Jana’ for children aged 3-6 years old.
Developed by QRF in support of the National Strategy for Human Resource Development (HRD), the application allows parents to take part in improving their children’s numeracy skills and help them prepare for school.
The HRD strategy outlines national priorities and core projects for implementation by the Ministries of Education and Social Development, in collaboration with NGOs and the private sector. It aims to create sustainable solutions to the challenges facing human resource development in Jordan by starting with early childhood education and development (ECED).
The strategy prioritizes early childhood education through several projects, emphasizing its powerful role in developing children’s basic skills while making use of technology and media to support improvements in ECED provision.
The mobile application is part of QRF’s efforts to provide essential learning opportunities to children of preschool age, who might not have access to early childhood education.
Research has shown that more than a third of children in Jordan between the ages of three and six have never been taught letters, numbers or words, and that more than a third of mothers in Jordan do not read to their children under the age of five. Moreover, in comparison with other middle- income countries, in Jordan children’s enrollment rates in kindergartens and nurseries are very low.
The Karim and Jana application comprises of games intended to prepare children for school, by improving their math skills and understanding of numbers and shapes, as well as their basic knowledge of addition and subtraction in a fun manner, through simple games, songs and stories.
Commenting on the application launch, the Foundation’s CEO, Mrs. Haifa Dia Al- Attia explained that “There is a huge gap in the educational opportunities available to our children that have many economic implications. This gap will continue to widen if we do not find suitable solutions, therefore it is very critical that we provide free and accessible education to our children and create essential opportunities for learning and interacting at home through technology. Our goal is to provide parents with free and easy ways to stimulate learning for their children, to help them acquire the skills they need during their first years at school”.
The Karim and Jana application is available for download on all mobile devices as of 9 January 2018 and is also available on Google Play and Apple Store.
Website: http://karimandjana.com/site/