Inner Mongolia Normal University (IMNU) played host to a China preschool education forum for this year, on July 29, with its vice-president, Zhang Haifeng, presiding and more than 500 bureau officials, education experts, scholars, preschool faculty and enterprise representatives from China and abroad taking part.

Opening ceremony of the program. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Preschool education forum in the Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, on July 29. [Photo provided to China Daily]

In addressing the participants of the 2-day forum, the vice-president of the Chinese Olympics committee and National Sports Foundation councilor, Wu Qi noted that preschool education reforms and children's football need to emphasize security first, interest, joy, and general health and avoid any notion of utility, formalization or commercialization.

The deputy director of Inner Mongolia's Education Dept, Dou Guijun, described the current preschool situation there and future development projects, while the university's president, Yun Guohong, provided basic information on their preschool education major and pointed to the forum's significance in that respect.

The forum was also the occasion for the establishment of the university's preschool education institute, with Guo Fuchang, the vice-president of the China Soong Ching Ling's early education association, was appointed as its head. It is expected to explain pre-education policies, do preschool research, study teaching and learning materials, and train kindergarten faculty members.

This forum was started by the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, which hosted it, along with the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation's career development center and the university. It is seen as a top-level forum in its field and included three sub-forums for discussing preschool physical activities, minor league football, the training of kindergarten teachers, and education for kids aged 1- 3.

The university says that it has concentrated on professional pre-education programs in recent years and has set up institutes for research and cooperated with enterprises in the area of management and has tried to combine all resources to develop pre-school education in the region.