Minister to be tough on registration of pre-schools

By Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama   

Permission will not be granted to run pre-schools without training provided by the Education Ministry or without a pre-school diploma, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said.   
Addressing an event in Bomiriya, Kaduwela, he said if the minds of three and four year old children are confused without a proper system, then school education will not be able to rebuild them. Therefore, it will not be possible to provide the opportunity to hold pre-schools on a regular basis.   

Along with the education reforms, the Education Ministry has started to introduce the English medium in all schools starting from Grade 1 this year. Earlier, it was stated that those in Grade 3 are scared and shy to speak English. But the children starting English in Grade One do not get scared, and do not shy away.   

A total of 13,800 teachers were trained for Grade One classes last year. Another batch of 13,800 teachers is currently under training, and this will continue.   
Meanwhile, a special programme has been started with the help of UNICEF to uplift primary education.   

Moreover, the minister said that education cannot start in the middle and it should start in pre-schools.   

There are about 40,000 pre-school teachers and about 19,000 pre-schools. All pre-school students finally enter Grade One classes in schools.   

Therefore, training will be given for pre-school teachers to conduct their teaching practices within a framework based on activities. These teachers will be given a certificate after completing specific training hours. A diploma certificate will also be given to the pre-school teachers who are willing to continue their teaching.   

Therefore, it has been decided not to start pre-schools without the pre-school training certificate or a diploma.   

In Japan, full attention is given to pre-schools and primary education.