The government is planning further measures to improve access to quality preschool education for children with special needs, under its national early childhood education development programme, Deputy Minister of Women and Child Affairs Dr. Namal Sudarshana said.
Special attention had been given to the educational requirements of children with special needs as part of wider efforts to improve preschool quality, he said, according to the Daily Mirror.
Discussions are expected to be held with relevant institutions and officials to identify the necessary interventions, provide appropriate facilities and develop future programmes so that these children receive quality early childhood education.
The training programme behind it
The commitment sits within a free national training programme for approximately 35,000 identified preschool teachers across Sri Lanka, each receiving 10 days of training.
The programme is being run jointly by the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education and the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, with the National Secretariat for Early Childhood Development and the National Institute of Education.
Beyond training, it aims to:
- introduce a structured national curriculum framework for preschools
- strengthen preschool registration
- improve professional standards across the sector
Dr. Sudarshana said the government intended to ensure equal access to training and professional development for all preschool teachers, without allowing financial difficulties to become a barrier.
The argument made
Preschool education is a crucial stage in a child’s development, the Deputy Minister said, laying the foundation for future learning and educational progress. Improving the knowledge, skills and professional competencies of preschool teachers was therefore essential to creating a better learning environment.
He stressed that improving preschool education required attention not only to teacher training but also to the differing learning needs of children, so that every child has the opportunity to receive a quality early education.
Not reported
The filing does not say how many children with special needs are currently enrolled in preschools, what facilities are proposed, or whether any additional budget has been allocated. It gives no timeline for the promised discussions, does not name the institutions to be consulted, and sets no target date. It does not say how many of the 35,000 teachers have completed the 10-day training so far, whether that training includes a special-needs component, or how the 35,000 were identified. No other verified newsroom had carried the remarks at the time of writing.
