Abu Dhabi: Sunday, November 16, 2025
The General Secretariat of the Khalifa Award for Education, one of the institutions under Erth Zayed Philanthropies, emphasized the importance of its participation in the annual Bright Start International Early Childhood Conference, hosted by the Higher Colleges of Technology from November 14 to 15. The conference, held in Abu Dhabi and London, brought together international experts in early childhood education under the theme “Excellence in Early Childhood Education Practices and Supporting Social Justice and Equality in Early Learning.”
Humaid Al Houti, Secretary-General of the Khalifa Award for Education, emphasized this participation as it reflects the core mission of the Khalifa International Award for Early Learning in highlighting the best scientific and applied practices related to early childhood education. Al-Houti noted that the Award will participate in this prominent international conference by showcasing one of its global winning projects: The Unlimited Child Foundation from South Africa. This project won the award last year, and Candice Potgieter, CEO of the foundation, a global organization serving more than 2.5 million children and supporting 12,000 women-led micro-enterprises across Africa and the Middle East, will be presenting a bold vision of smart scalability, where technology is harnessed to strengthen human connections, philanthropy drives systemic reform, and innovation contributes to making quality early childhood education a universal right for every child.
Potgieter stated that the foundation’s winning of the Khalifa International Award for Early Learning reflects its prestigious rank and outstanding efforts in South Africa, the Middle East, and globally. She further noted that the foundation is the largest and fastest-growing early childhood development program in South Africa.
Potgieter explained that the Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi, hosting this conference concurrently with its sessions in London, demonstrates academic excellence within the Higher Colleges of Technology in particular, and the UAE in general. The CEO mentioned that her paper at the conference was titled “Smart Philanthropy and Scalable Systems: How Artificial Intelligence Can Democratize Early Learning.” During the scientific session, she emphasized that true transformation in early childhood development does not begin with funding amounts, but rather with the strategies that chart a roadmap for it, given the global challenges facing education systems in ensuring equity and equal opportunities in education. She added that the intersection of artificial intelligence and early childhood development represents both a significant opportunity and a primary responsibility. Despite concerted international efforts, millions of children worldwide remain deprived of quality early childhood education due to high costs, fragmented systems, and the difficulty of scaling them up.
The foundation expressed its appreciation for winning the Khalifa Award for Education and the support it received, which enabled it to develop a pioneering AI-driven model, known as the “AI-driven ECD Blueprint.” This transformative framework aims to reduce the marginal cost per child while improving program quality and supporting practitioners in the field.
In closing, Candice Potgieter stated: “The Unlimited Child experience demonstrates that AI and early childhood development are not separate paths, but rather complementary forces capable of reshaping access, quality, and equity in education.
Through wise investment, system design, and cross-sector collaboration—such as the partnership with the Khalifa Award for Education—AI-powered systems can transform early childhood development into a comprehensive, data-driven, and human-centered platform that unlocks the potential of every child.” She emphasized that the future of early childhood education will not be built by a single entity or innovation, but rather through partnerships that bring together people, ideas, and technologies to ensure that every child, everywhere, has the opportunity to grow and thrive.