DOHA (AFP) – Al-Jazeera, the pan-Arab network known for hard news coverage of Middle East conflicts, said Sunday it has launched a channel for pre-school children.
The channel Baraem, which means buds in Arabic, started broadcasting on Friday, said Al-Jazeera's Mahmud Bouneb.
It offers its target audience -- aged between three and six -- educational and cultural programmes, unlike Al-Jazeera Children launched three and a half years ago for children up to 13 years old.
"Baraem, unique among some 550 channels in the Arab world, addresses pre-school-aged children, their parents and their teachers, with the ambition of contributing to the formation of the identity of the Arab child," Bouneb told AFP.
Baraem produces 15 percent of its broadcast material, while the remaining 85 percent is aquired, said Bouneb, who heads Al-Jazeera Children.
"The aim is to gradually increase our production to affirm the Arab identity of the channel, as with Al-Jazeera Children, which at its launch produced only 30 percent of the programmes, but now produces 60 percent," Bouneb said.
"Our channel produces, or co-produces in Malaysia, Britain, France, Canada and Arab countries, including Qatar," he said, adding Baraem's launch would free up space on Al-Jazeera Children for children aged seven to 15.
Baraem is owned by the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, a public body created and headed by the wife of Qatar's Emir, Sheikha Mozah Bent Nasser al-Masnad.
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