Wayamba pre-school Statute, guideline for national policy - Minister

H. M. Abeysinghe, Kuliyapitiya group correspondent

KULIYAPITIYA: Wayamba Provincial Council had given the whole country a lead by way of enacting a Pre-school Education Development Authority Statute, said the Minister of Child Development and Women's Empowerment Sumedha B. Jayasena.

The Minister was addressing the Annual Conference of Wayamba Pre-School Teachers' Association held at Kuliyapitiya Town Hall.

Pre-school education is the foundation for school and higher education. So a national policy on that is essential. We take that statute as an example and guideline to draw up the national policy on pre-school education

The Minister said the Wayamba Provincial Council had set an example to the whole country by way of the Pre-School Education Development Authority. All the pre-schools in the country should maintain the same standard, if not the quality of education given in them would differ. That is harmful not only to the pre-schoolchildren but also to those in schools and higher educational institutions.

She said, President Mahinda Rajapaksa having realised the fact that the children are the life-blood of the nation set up a separate ministry to safeguard and protect the interests, rights and privileges of children. The promotion of pre-school education is safeguarding rights and privileges of children. The success of normal school education and higher education depends mainly on pre-school education. So we pay a very special attention on that.

The Minister said, pre-school teachers develop the creative ability, talents and skills of the children. They also train the children on our national customs. However great their service is, pre-school teachers are degraded.

Their service is not properly evaluated. They perform a very valuable service with dedication and devotion, but their service is not properly rewarded. As a mark of recognition of their service I have paid attention to pay them a remuneration as an incentive. It is not a salary but only a remuneration.

Wayamba Chief Minister Athula Wijesinghe said, it is a pride for Wayamba that our Pre-school Education Development Authority Statute is taken as an example for formulating a national policy on pre-school education. That indicates that the whole nation follows Wayamba.

He said we pay a remuneration for the pre-school teachers whose schools are registered in the Pre-school Education Development Authority provided they maintain the standard laid out by the Authority. In addition these teachers are given a constant training free.

The Chief Minister said pre-school education is a subject coming under the local authorities. It was in Wayamba the pre-school education was introduced in the seventies by the then Village Council. Several Pradeshiya Sabhas had alleged that the Provincial Council was trying to grab their authority by way of enacting the Pre-School Education Development Authority Statute.

The objective of that authority is standardising the pre-schools, training the pre-school teachers and supervision of them for the benefit of the children learning in them. The Local Authorities can run them.

The Director, Wayamba Pre-school Education Development Authority Upali Banneheka also spoke.