Karachi, Pakistan – Health and child development experts have underlined that measuring early childhood development is one of the most critical steps in ensuring long-term health, learning capacity, and overall wellbeing, calling the early years a foundation that shapes an individual’s entire life. Specialists at the seminar stressed that early childhood development often remains overlooked because it is not consistently measured. Dr Salim Virani, vice provost for global research at AKU, emphasised that early childhood should be treated as an investment rather than simply a stage of life. In Pakistan and many developing countries, early development monitoring has been limited due to the lack of affordable and adaptable tools. As discussions continue, experts urged that early childhood development must become a national priority, warning that neglecting the earliest years can have lasting consequences for education, productivity, and societal wellbeing.