“The stage of schooling that precedes the primary level is now considered to be equally important or even more important for the normal development of the growing child. It is recognised that the formative years in the child’s life are from birth to about six years of age during which the foundation for the physical, mental, emotional, and social development is permanently laid. Once the formative years are over, the changes the society expects the child to adapt to are difficult to achieve.”____________________
by Professor Ranjit Ruberu
(April 18, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Formal school education in Sri Lanka begins at the age of five years plus, and most children reaching this age remain unready for any educational development. The age group 2 1/2 years to 5 years is considered to be the Pre-School age that calls for more concern and attention than what is evident today in the country.
The lack of educational facilities for this ego group has resulted in a void in the school system that is required to be filled if the education system is to be a fully fledged national system comparable to any school system found in many other countries. Apparently the pre-school stage of education however important remains disregarded.
A possible cause for the neglect of this most crucial stage in the child’s education can be attributed to the non-recognition of the physical, social, and psychological needs of the children of this age group in the past. The traditional thinking happened to be that formal schooling should start when the child is physically developed to attend school. Accordingly the age five years was considered to be the appropriate age to begin schooling.
The general disposition is to consider the two familiar levels of schooling, the primary and the secondary school as the only levels that require priority consideration. Pre-school stage therefore remains neglected. The parents accordingly think of the primary school as the level to which children have to be admitted when formal education is to begin at the age of five years plus. Only the more informed parents think of the pre-school stage, but they form a small minority in the Sri Lanka Society. Such parents generally happen to be the educated well-to-do and rich. In the absence of any government recognition of the value of pre-school education, the pre-school level children remain disregarded.
The stage of schooling that precedes the primary level is now considered to be equally important or even more important for the normal development of the growing child. It is recognised that the formative years in the child’s life are from birth to about six years of age during which the foundation for the physical, mental, emotional, and social development is permanently laid. Once the formative years are over, the changes the society expects the child to adapt to are difficult to achieve. This is the reason why both child psychologists and educationists recommend the provision of well planned and well provided environment for the pre-school child of formative years - two and a half years to five or six years age.
The significance of the child’s experiences during the formative years is scientifically accepted today. Also, research on child development has drawn attention to the importance of basic learning experiences of the child during the five to six years of childhood. These findings have resulted in an increasing awareness of the need to provide a suitable educational environment for the infant child that no home could substitute adequately.
It is very necessary for the government to recognise the value of the pre-school stage in the country’s school system end support the provision of pre-sehool educational facilities as national policy. Besides the ministries of education both at the centre and the provincial levels, several other agencies associated with social work also can participate in such activities. The teacher training institutions as well as the universities have a legitimate duty to take part in the training of pre-school teachers both as pre-service training and in-service teacher training programmes. This in turn would promote the popularization of pre-schools in the country.
In the industrialized countries where mothers are employed and are away from home for long hours, the Day Care Centres have taken the place of the home for such children. When properly managed, the Day Care Centres can meet the physical, social educational, and emotional needs of the pre-school child. In Sri Lanka with the ever increasing numbers of working mothers who are away from home for long hours of the day, the pre-school age child needs care and attention until such time that formal education begins. The provision of such care has become an obligation and even a national need no welfare government could ignore.
In the United States the school admission age is six years, but pre-school educational facilities are made available for children from about three years of age provided in the nursery schools and the kindergarten classes. In the former USSR, elementary schooling began at the age of seven years, but from about age three the kindergarten classes provided pre-school facilities. In India the expected age of entry into formal school is six years, but facilities for children to attend pre-school establishments is made available. Such facilities differ from state to state, but the preschool child is not neglected. Among the Scandinavian countries, the Danish children go to school as late as seven years, but pre-school education is provided in the nursery schools and kindergarten classes. Similarly, the school admission age in Sweden is seven years, but from the age of three years children attend nursery schools. The Swedish government gives state grants to pre-primary schools well as to preprimary school teacher training colleges (UNESCO World Survey of Education II, Primary education). All these bear testimony to the need for providing educational experience to children in their early life.
Fifty years ago, the Special Committee on Education, the Kannangara Committee, not only realized the value of giving an early start in education, but also recognized the importance of preschool education. To quote from this Report (S.P. 24 of 1943) "some witnesses brought to our notice the necessity for provision of nursery schools for the age group 3 plus to 5 plus. We are only too well aware of the increasing importance that is beginning to be attached to what might be called the nursery foundation of education. We understand that psychologists consider that foundations of mental health are laid down during the period of two to five years of age....We suggest that as soon is our most immediate needs in the educational organization have been satisfied, the nursery school question should be considered. We recommend that an experiment be made with this type ofschool...to cater in particular to working class children."
Although most of the Kannangara Committee Recommendations were implemented in the course of years that followed, no Minister of Education who succeeded him took the initiative to develop the pre-school stage in the school system. The Status Quo therefore still prevails in the country. The pre-school child remains disregarded end the pre-school stage is yet avoid in the school system.
Because of the failure of the Ministry of Education to provide for the educational development of the pre-school child private individuals and private agencies have entered the field to reap the financial benefits any investment on pre-schools could bring. Such private effort is encouraged due to the existence of a need for this stage of education in the country. However, the majority of privately managed pre-schools are not up to acceptable standards and are more often places where pre-school age children are only just looked after for a particular part of the day till the parents return. Some of the drawbacks prevalent in these establishments are the lack of adequate physical facilities by way of class rooms, suitable furniture and equipment, sanitary facilities, as well as recreational facilities like play rooms. What is generally seen are crowded classrooms with children looked after by untrained poorly paid teachers who are more concerned with children being disciplined more than promoting the social, mental and emotional development of the children under their care.
The only popular pre-school in the country is the Montessori school that is now mushrooming all over the country both in the urban and rural areas. Even in remote villages Montessori schools have come up and are continuing to get established in a random manner. More often such schools are not provided and managed according to Montessori theory and method. The haphazard growth of Montessori schools reflects a situation arising as a result of the increasing demand for this level of education in the county. A properly managed Montessori school system could meet the needs for pre-school facilities to a significant extent.
Pre-school teacher training appears to be catching up. Some teacher training colleges and universities are already engaged in such work. Yet most of these pre-school trained teachers have to find employment in the private sector due to the dearth of government managed pre-schools or pre-school classes in the school system. These happenings in the pre-school area indicate that there is a need in the country to provide educational opportunities to the pre-school children more widely.
With the present system of provincial governments of the provincial councils and provincial ministers of education together with provincial departments of education, they are in a position to cater to the educational needs of the provinces. Provincial council ministries of education can undertake the promotion of many welfare functions and the provision of pre-school education could be one such function the provincial ministries of education could perform. The provincial councils are at an advantageous position to organize education within the provinces for the reason that local resources and local effort are readily available. The time is opportune for the provincial councils to embark on the establishment of pre-schools and organize a pre-school education system in each of the provinces.
There is evidence of such activity in some provinces, but it is not happening universally in all provinces. If the supply of pre-education in Sri Lanka is to become a national educational endeavour, the provincial governments have to take over such responsibility. The Central Government Ministry of Education being already involved in the provision of general education at all levels, the primary, secondary end tertiary levels the provincial councils have an obligation to organize a system of pre-schools. The provincial councils should rise up to occasion and become a partner in the provision of pre-school education in the country.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
by Professor Ranjit Ruberu
(April 18, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Formal school education in Sri Lanka begins at the age of five years plus, and most children reaching this age remain unready for any educational development. The age group 2 1/2 years to 5 years is considered to be the Pre-School age that calls for more concern and attention than what is evident today in the country.
The lack of educational facilities for this ego group has resulted in a void in the school system that is required to be filled if the education system is to be a fully fledged national system comparable to any school system found in many other countries. Apparently the pre-school stage of education however important remains disregarded.
A possible cause for the neglect of this most crucial stage in the child’s education can be attributed to the non-recognition of the physical, social, and psychological needs of the children of this age group in the past. The traditional thinking happened to be that formal schooling should start when the child is physically developed to attend school. Accordingly the age five years was considered to be the appropriate age to begin schooling.
The general disposition is to consider the two familiar levels of schooling, the primary and the secondary school as the only levels that require priority consideration. Pre-school stage therefore remains neglected. The parents accordingly think of the primary school as the level to which children have to be admitted when formal education is to begin at the age of five years plus. Only the more informed parents think of the pre-school stage, but they form a small minority in the Sri Lanka Society. Such parents generally happen to be the educated well-to-do and rich. In the absence of any government recognition of the value of pre-school education, the pre-school level children remain disregarded.
The stage of schooling that precedes the primary level is now considered to be equally important or even more important for the normal development of the growing child. It is recognised that the formative years in the child’s life are from birth to about six years of age during which the foundation for the physical, mental, emotional, and social development is permanently laid. Once the formative years are over, the changes the society expects the child to adapt to are difficult to achieve. This is the reason why both child psychologists and educationists recommend the provision of well planned and well provided environment for the pre-school child of formative years - two and a half years to five or six years age.
The significance of the child’s experiences during the formative years is scientifically accepted today. Also, research on child development has drawn attention to the importance of basic learning experiences of the child during the five to six years of childhood. These findings have resulted in an increasing awareness of the need to provide a suitable educational environment for the infant child that no home could substitute adequately.
It is very necessary for the government to recognise the value of the pre-school stage in the country’s school system end support the provision of pre-sehool educational facilities as national policy. Besides the ministries of education both at the centre and the provincial levels, several other agencies associated with social work also can participate in such activities. The teacher training institutions as well as the universities have a legitimate duty to take part in the training of pre-school teachers both as pre-service training and in-service teacher training programmes. This in turn would promote the popularization of pre-schools in the country.
In the industrialized countries where mothers are employed and are away from home for long hours, the Day Care Centres have taken the place of the home for such children. When properly managed, the Day Care Centres can meet the physical, social educational, and emotional needs of the pre-school child. In Sri Lanka with the ever increasing numbers of working mothers who are away from home for long hours of the day, the pre-school age child needs care and attention until such time that formal education begins. The provision of such care has become an obligation and even a national need no welfare government could ignore.
In the United States the school admission age is six years, but pre-school educational facilities are made available for children from about three years of age provided in the nursery schools and the kindergarten classes. In the former USSR, elementary schooling began at the age of seven years, but from about age three the kindergarten classes provided pre-school facilities. In India the expected age of entry into formal school is six years, but facilities for children to attend pre-school establishments is made available. Such facilities differ from state to state, but the preschool child is not neglected. Among the Scandinavian countries, the Danish children go to school as late as seven years, but pre-school education is provided in the nursery schools and kindergarten classes. Similarly, the school admission age in Sweden is seven years, but from the age of three years children attend nursery schools. The Swedish government gives state grants to pre-primary schools well as to preprimary school teacher training colleges (UNESCO World Survey of Education II, Primary education). All these bear testimony to the need for providing educational experience to children in their early life.
Fifty years ago, the Special Committee on Education, the Kannangara Committee, not only realized the value of giving an early start in education, but also recognized the importance of preschool education. To quote from this Report (S.P. 24 of 1943) "some witnesses brought to our notice the necessity for provision of nursery schools for the age group 3 plus to 5 plus. We are only too well aware of the increasing importance that is beginning to be attached to what might be called the nursery foundation of education. We understand that psychologists consider that foundations of mental health are laid down during the period of two to five years of age....We suggest that as soon is our most immediate needs in the educational organization have been satisfied, the nursery school question should be considered. We recommend that an experiment be made with this type ofschool...to cater in particular to working class children."
Although most of the Kannangara Committee Recommendations were implemented in the course of years that followed, no Minister of Education who succeeded him took the initiative to develop the pre-school stage in the school system. The Status Quo therefore still prevails in the country. The pre-school child remains disregarded end the pre-school stage is yet avoid in the school system.
Because of the failure of the Ministry of Education to provide for the educational development of the pre-school child private individuals and private agencies have entered the field to reap the financial benefits any investment on pre-schools could bring. Such private effort is encouraged due to the existence of a need for this stage of education in the country. However, the majority of privately managed pre-schools are not up to acceptable standards and are more often places where pre-school age children are only just looked after for a particular part of the day till the parents return. Some of the drawbacks prevalent in these establishments are the lack of adequate physical facilities by way of class rooms, suitable furniture and equipment, sanitary facilities, as well as recreational facilities like play rooms. What is generally seen are crowded classrooms with children looked after by untrained poorly paid teachers who are more concerned with children being disciplined more than promoting the social, mental and emotional development of the children under their care.
The only popular pre-school in the country is the Montessori school that is now mushrooming all over the country both in the urban and rural areas. Even in remote villages Montessori schools have come up and are continuing to get established in a random manner. More often such schools are not provided and managed according to Montessori theory and method. The haphazard growth of Montessori schools reflects a situation arising as a result of the increasing demand for this level of education in the county. A properly managed Montessori school system could meet the needs for pre-school facilities to a significant extent.
Pre-school teacher training appears to be catching up. Some teacher training colleges and universities are already engaged in such work. Yet most of these pre-school trained teachers have to find employment in the private sector due to the dearth of government managed pre-schools or pre-school classes in the school system. These happenings in the pre-school area indicate that there is a need in the country to provide educational opportunities to the pre-school children more widely.
With the present system of provincial governments of the provincial councils and provincial ministers of education together with provincial departments of education, they are in a position to cater to the educational needs of the provinces. Provincial council ministries of education can undertake the promotion of many welfare functions and the provision of pre-school education could be one such function the provincial ministries of education could perform. The provincial councils are at an advantageous position to organize education within the provinces for the reason that local resources and local effort are readily available. The time is opportune for the provincial councils to embark on the establishment of pre-schools and organize a pre-school education system in each of the provinces.
There is evidence of such activity in some provinces, but it is not happening universally in all provinces. If the supply of pre-education in Sri Lanka is to become a national educational endeavour, the provincial governments have to take over such responsibility. The Central Government Ministry of Education being already involved in the provision of general education at all levels, the primary, secondary end tertiary levels the provincial councils have an obligation to organize a system of pre-schools. The provincial councils should rise up to occasion and become a partner in the provision of pre-school education in the country.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
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