ISLAMABAD: The first ever two-day national conference on early childhood care and pre-primary education will take place on Monday at Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU). The conference has been arranged by Early Childhood Development Network of Pakistan (ECDNP), Ministry of Education, AIOU and some NGOs. AIOU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Shahid Siddiqui said that the event is highly significant since it brings all the stake-holders together on one platform to evolve a future roadmap about taking care of children at an early age. The event is aimed at promoting holistic early childhood care and education for Pakistan and creating an equitable, pluralistic and sustainable society. Reiterating the AIOU’s commitment with the cause of children, Dr Shahid Siddiqui said they will host such an event on a regular basis in the month of March. The vice chancellor said that a research journal on early childhood will be published by the end of this year to provide academic input regarding the task of nation-building and having a better future. This year, the university will also offer a special certificate course on early childhood. It has also been planned to introduce this subject at BSc level, he added. Minister for Planning and Development Ashan Iqbal will inaugurate the event while President Mamnoon Hussain is likely to be chief guest at the concluding session on Tuesday. The conference will have two plenary sessions that will be chaired by the Education Minister Muhammad Baligur Rehman and the Minister of State for National Health Services Saira Afzal Tarar respectively. Renowned educationist Dr Manzoor Hussain from Bangladesh will be a key-note speaker on the occasion.