Pre-school teachers responsible for moulding children to become leaders - First Lady

Nimal WIJESINGHE- Anuradhapura Additional District group correspondent

Pre-school teachers are entrusted with a great responsibility in moulding kindergarten children to become future leaders, love the motherland and be liberal minded, said First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa in her special message on the occasion of the World Children's Day celebrations held recently at the Anuradhapura Swarnapali National Girls School grounds.

The North Central Province Early Childhood Development Authority (NCECDA) organized eight festivals in the eight zonal education jurisdictions in the North Central Province on World Children's Day.

"It has been the opinion of most intelligentsia that children are being deprived of the playground, playhouse and the chances to socialize with similar age groups.

The parents and society must acknowledge that such a trend would badly influence their personality development," the message of the First Lady read.

Around 28,000 children studying at 1,262 kindergartens in the North Central Province which have been registered under the North Central Province Early Childhood Development Authority participated in the World Children's Day celebrations. North Central Province Chief Minister Berty Premalal Dissanayake who attended the ceremony said his Provincial Council had been the first to enact a provincial pre-school statute whereby the Early Childhood Development Authority was established.

"We have arranged to train all pre-school teachers to fulfil pre-school educational standards and paying a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 to volunteer pre-school teachers as an incentive.

"During the last five years the NCP Council has spent around Rs 80 million to upgrade provincial kindergarten education, the Chief Minister said.

NCECDA chief Anura Dissanayake said it will open model kindergartens in every DS division in the North Central Province.