Parents have been instructed to ensure that preschool children are dressed in clothing that fully covers their hands and legs as part of heightened precautions against dengue, Minister of Child Affairs Saroja Savithri Paulraj said.

Addressing the media today (13), she stressed that the directive extends beyond schools to preschools in particular, urging parents to dress children in appropriate protective clothing before sending them to class.

The minister further advised parents to use child‑safe mosquito repellents where appropriate and to take every possible precaution to protect children from mosquito bites.

Acknowledging that the dengue risk remains a concern within educational institutions, she warned that the next two weeks will be particularly critical, calling on parents to remain vigilant. (Newswire)

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The National Secretariat for Early Childhood Development has announced that all preschools and early childhood development centres that can safely resume operations will reopen next week.

Issuing a statement, the Secretariat said that all preschools and early childhood development centres now deemed safe to resume operations will be reopened from December 16.

Preschools and early childhood development centres were temporarily closed due to the emergency disaster situation in Sri Lanka. (Newswire)

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The National Secretariat for Early Childhood Development has announced that Early Childhood Development Centres, including pre-schools, will be closed from tomorrow (28).

According to the National Secretariat for Early Childhood Development, the decision has been taken due to the prevalent inclement weather in Sri Lanka. 

A total of 30 disaster-related deaths have been reported in the two days of November 26 and 27. (Newswire)

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Minister of Education, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, has emphasized that no schools will be closed, and that the current government policy is to integrate and develop schools. 

She further explained that this initiative is aimed at enhancing the quality of the education system and ensuring equal opportunities for all.

PM Amarasuriya also revealed that a single curriculum will be introduced for all preschools nationwide, starting in 2026.

She further noted that the early childhood curriculum framework has already been finalized, and a training program for officials tasked with training approximately 19,000 preschool teachers is scheduled to begin on November 25. 

Training sessions will be held in every province, enabling the implementation of teaching practices aligned with the new curriculum, the Prime Minister added. 

PM Harini Amarasuriya made the remarks during a meeting of the Parliamentary subcommittee on education reform, which convened under her leadership in Parliament yesterday (22).

The Parliamentary subcommittee meeting was attended by Members of Parliament, Secretary to the Ministry of Education Nalaka Kaluwewa, officials from the National Institute of Education, and other ministry representatives. (Newswire)

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A 68-year-old man has been sentenced to 60 years of rigorous imprisonment after being found guilty on three counts of sexual abuse of a preschool-aged child living next door.

The sentence issued by Colombo High Court Judge R.S.S. Sapuwida includes 20 years of imprisonment for each charge, to be served consecutively. 

In addition, the court ordered the accused to pay a fine of Rs. 30,000 and compensation of Rs. 1 million to the victim, warning that failure to pay would result in an additional two years of imprisonment.

The court heard that the accused had lured the girl into his home on multiple occasions over two months, taking advantage of times when her parents were away from home. 

Following a lengthy trial, the judge ruled that the prosecution had proven the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

The accused, who was 55 at the time of the offences, was identified as a close relative of the victim and the father of two adult daughters. (Newswire)

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The proposal to provide breakfast for children at early childhood development centres/preschools has received Cabinet approval. 

The National Secretariat on Early Child Development has conducted the program to provide breakfast for early childhood development centres/preschool children with a high percentage of underweight children.

The programme has been carried out under the technical guidance of the Ministry of Health since 2017.

A sum of Rs. 60/- is provided per day, benefitting about 155,000 children, which is also the estimated rate provided for the year 2025. 

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Women and Child Affairs to increase the allocation per day up to 100/- as Rs.60/- is insufficient due to the increase in the prices of food items.

Approval has also been given to implement the project in Early Childhood Development Centres/Preschools by selecting the preschools based on the high percentage of low-weight children. (Newswire)

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The Ministry of Education has decided to permit only qualified teachers with Government stipulated qualifications to engage in preschool education in the future.

According to Daily News, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha stated that preschool teachers will be given specific training and a Diploma in the future for this purpose.

This programme will cover around 40,000 preschool teachers from 19,000 different types of preschools scattered across the country. 

Teachers with the Government stipulated qualifications will only be given permission to commence preschools, he added.

Minister Susil Premajayantha also pointed out that it was necessary to pay special attention to preschool education, which is considered the foundation of primary education.

Stating that the Education Ministry trained 13,800 primary teachers in the year 2022, he noted that it has already commenced training the same amount in the year 2023. 

The Minister further revealed that a special programme has also been implemented introducing the use of English in practice from Grade One in schools.

The programme is launched together with UNICEF for the development of primary education, he added.

Minister Susil Premajayantha made the remarks while speaking at the inauguration of a national programme to provide free school books to 100,000 children with economic difficulties at Bomiriya National School. (NewsWire)

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A 25-year-old preschool teacher was reported dead after being attacked by an individual in the Kobbekaduwa area in Peradeniya early this morning (07).

The Police stated that the woman had been attacked with a sharp object and had succumbed to injuries after being admitted to the Ilukthenna Hospital.

The deceased has been identified as a 25-year-old woman from the Muruthalawa area. 

Police investigations have revealed that the victim was a teacher at a preschool and had been attacked while on her way to work.

The suspect wanted over the attack is yet to be identified, while the Peradeniya Police is conducting investigations into the incident. (NewsWire) 

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