brand logo

National Policy for Early Childhood Education: Focus on centralisation, curriculum, and teachers

19 Mar 2021

The centralisation of the oversight mechanism pertaining to preschools, ensuring the qualification of preschool teachers, as well as the monitoring and regulation of preschool education curricula are the envisioned goals of the proposed new National Policy for Early Childhood Education, The Morning learnt. The draft of the National Policy on Preschool Education, which has been handed over to Minister of Education Prof. G.L. Peiris, looks to bring in Central Government monitoring and evaluation of a subject that will continue to remain under the provincial councils (PCs) in terms of implementation, while also facilitating teacher training and establishing visible and open curriculums that can be monitored. Speaking to The Morning on Tuesday (16), State Minister of Women and Child Development, Preschools and Primary Education, School Infrastructure, and Education Services Piyal Nishantha De Silva said the formulation of the national policy is reaching its final stages as the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted last week for the establishment of a National Committee for the Management and Regulation of Early Childhood Education. “The committee will be appointed soon. It will look into providing the conclusions with regard to the draft national policy that has been submitted. The committee will also look to formulate a systematic preschool programme.” The Cabinet granted approval on 8 March to appoint a committee comprising intellectuals in the field and officials at decision-making levels with regard to the regulation, supervision, and guidance of early childhood development centres and daycare centres established for this purpose. De Silva said the national policy would put in place some regulations in order to provide economic strength to teachers, along with guidelines for the development of children. When queried about the impact a centralised national system would have on the existing provincial system, he said that since preschools are the subject of PCs, they would be allowed to proceed with the operation of preschools. Speaking to The Morning on Wednesday (17), National Policy for Early Childhood Education Drafting Committee Member Prof. Rasnayake M. Mudiyanse, who is a professor of paediatrics at the University of Peradeniya, said that while the subject is in the hands of the provincial directorates, early childhood education needs a system of Central Government monitoring from the line ministry in order to ensure its progressive development. “Preschools are not empowered adequately in the current system and it needs to be monitored under the Central Government. There will not be any interference made with the current system under operation by the provincial directorates, but a centralised system would ensure proper order in the entire system,” Prof. Mudiyanse said. The policy calls for a mechanism to allow curricula to be visible and open in a way that they can be monitored. It also proposes a system of registering all preschools as well as a system of accreditation to address the need for minimum standards in preschools, he said. Prof. Mudiyanse claimed that preschool education at present is mostly done by the private sector and volunteers. “There are only a few state-funded preschools and we need to see to it that there are equal chances to all students. At present, everyone is getting preschool education, but many institutions are not up to the standards and the teachers are not qualified,” he pointed out. Paying attention to early childhood education in remote areas that might require financial assistance when establishing preschools, the draft policy has also made proposals to fund teachers to assist them in setting up preschools in such areas, he said. Expressing the draft policy’s plans for preschool teachers, Prof. Mudiyanse said that it would require teachers to have proper qualifications and that the policy would develop a mechanism to train those who are short of those qualifications. This policy was prepared by a committee of 14, headed by Ven. Prof. Medagoda Abhayathissa Thera. The committee consisted of Secretary to the State Ministry of Education Reforms, Open Universities, and Distance Learning Promotion Dr. Upali Sedere; Prof. Mudiyanse; Dr. Chaminda Weerasiriwardana; and other representatives from PCs and the National Education Council (NEC).


More News..