Pre-school education in NCP to be upgraded

Nimal Wijesinghe Anuradhapura Additional District Group Corr.

A massive program to upgrade and expand the pre-school education in the North Central Province has been initiated.

North Central Provincial Chief Minister Berty Premalal Dissanayake said the venture has been designed on par with the provincial educational motto "There is no future without education. The program would continue for five years, he said.

At present 1,251 pre-schools are functioning and there is no LTTE threat, several kindergarten schools will be set up in the once conflict affected areas like Welioya, Padaviya, Medawachchiya and Wahalkada.

The North Central Kindergarten Education Development Authority is engaged in training 2,800 pre-school teachers. The Plan Sri Lanka is assisting the Provincial Council in the implementation of pre-school education development scheme.

"Arrangements are being made for paying an allowance of Rs. 1,000 to every trained pre-school head teachers from June 2009.

Every kindergarten teacher will be provided with a teachers handbook as guidance to achieve a uniformed level and standard of pre-school education.