Childhood dev. projects to be streamlined

Dharma SRI ABEYRATNE

The Child Development and Women's Affairs Ministry will streamline its various early childhood development programmes as many of these programmes are not upto standard and do not conform to accepted child counselling methods, Child Development and Women's Affairs Minister Tissa Karaliyadda said.

Under this initiative all early childhood development programmes such as montessori and pre-school education will be brought to a national standard. The Child Development and Women's Affairs Ministry Children's Secretariat has formulated the national policy standards for early childhood development.

"When formulating early childhood development standards, focus was brought on the Sri Lankan context while taking international standards into account to refer to guidelines. Climate conditions, children's habits etc were also taken into account. For instance a montessori built in the hill country should be different to one built in the dry zone," Minister Karaliyadda said.

In keeping with this initiative, the Ministry's Probation and Childcare Department will carry out a special project to absorb non-school going children and regular absentees to the school system, after identifying the causes for absenteeism. After re-admitting these children they will be closely monitored by relevant officials of the ministry.