Hemas felicitates Piyawara pre-school teachers

The Hemas Piyawara Pre-school Centres in Polonnaruwa, Matale and Jaffna were adjudged first, second and third at a ceremony held recently to felicitate the dedication and hard work put in by the Piyawara pre-school teachers islandwide.

Launched in 2003, Piyawara is the CSR project of the Hemas Group in collaboration with the Ministry Women's Empowerment and Social Welfare. This follows the need for greater understanding and awareness that early childhood development (01-05 years) plays in a child's psychological well being.

CEO Hemas Holdings Husein Esufally said that under this programme, one school each belonging to the local government authority in each selected district was upgraded to a model school in the area.

"The programme was implemented in three key stages: providing a safe and conducive environment by developing infrastructure and creating play areas, training the care givers regularly with comprehensive teacher training, and, conducting parental awareness campaigns to create the right home environment by empowering caregivers and parents for sustainability", he added. Once an abandoned little school, the Polonnaruwa Piyawara Pre-school Centre headed by Mrs Binari Kokila Kumarasinghe, won first place and is now a centre of attraction in the area.

The Matale Piyawara Pre-school Centre which came second, is today considered a role model in its area. Its head teacher Mrs. Chandrani Welegedera has been recognised for her exceptional child handling capabilities and promoted to overlook most of the Pre-schools in the district.

Guests of honour on the occasion were Head of ECCD-UNICEF Dr. Abera Beckalee and Sri Lanka's international award winning director of children's films Somaratne Dissanayake.