Pre-school education

Pre-school education is a vital part of the education process. It is from the pre-school that the child learns knowledge since stepping out of the parental home for the first time. It is very necessary that the formative steps of the child's learning process should be both correct and beneficial.

It is at the pre-school that the child meets with friends and learns to live in a group outside home. The environment of the pre-school should be both friendly and healthy. It is there the child learns habits and manners of living in a group. It is there that the child learns that education is fun. If it becomes a burden it will affect the child's entire future.

The child spends a considerable part, sometimes up to one-third of his early childhood at the pre-school. Therefore it is very essential that there should be a conducive atmosphere in the pre-school for the child's physical, intellectual and cultural development.

A National Plan developed by the Human Resource Development, Education and Cultural Affairs Ministry in the year 2000 titled 'Education for All' cited eleven objectives for early childhood education, ie at the pre-school level. It included among others development of creative abilities and skills to complete routine work, developing the ability to face challenging situations and guidance to love, appreciate, evaluate and to safeguard the environment.

According to experts about 80 percent of the personality characteristics and 60 percent of the intelligence of a person is developed during early childhood. More than 10 years after the report nothing has happened. The objectives remain on paper. No effort was made to transform them into reality.

Pre-schools do not get adequate attention from the State and society. As in other sectors of education, pre-school education is also unorganized and full of problems.

It has become a profitable business for enterprising individuals. Both content of education and the manner in which it is imparted are haphazard and questionable. In most instances there are no qualified pre-school teachers with even school dropouts in charge of tender children.

Though certain community organizations try to maintain some standards in most places the standards of teaching are low. In cities exorbitant fees are charged from parents.

It is tragic that there is no National Policy on pre-school education and childcare. Ministries in charge of education and childcare should formulate such a national policy at the earliest. As the National Education Commission has recommended day care centres and pre-schools should be registered with the Children's Secretariat. Standards should be set for space, physical facilities, equipment and quality of teachers in all pre-schools and day care centres.

There are around 15,000 pre-schools in the country in which more than 200,000 students are studying. The number of pre-school teachers in the country is around 60,000. All of these pre-schools are unregistered and unregulated.

There should be a supervising and regulating agency in charge of pre-schools either at the Children's Secretariat or the Education Ministry. In fact, this could be established at the provincial level so that scrutiny and guidance would be closer.

The Government has declared its intention to make Sri Lanka the knowledge hub of Asia. In this effort the development of human resources takes foremost priority. There is nothing better than developing the child from early childhood. Hence, the development of a sound system of pre-school education and the inculcation of good intelligence, above average skills, healthy habits, customs and manners as well as the rearing up of personalities who are able to face the challenges posed by life is a sine qua non. That is why the Government must give priority to early childhood education.

It should immediately draw up a National Policy on Early Childhood Education, institute official bodies for registration and regulation of pre-schools and day care centres, develop nationally recognized teacher training courses and standards, conduct research on early childhood education and related subjects, ensure adequate salaries and conditions of service for teachers in order that the objectives of personality development through pre-school education are ensured.

The private sector is the major player in this sector. While the public sector could also join in developing pre-school education more effort should be concentrated on ensuring better regulation and standards in the private sector run institutions.