The Hon. (Dr.) Namal Sudarshana - Deputy Minister of Women and Child Affairs

¶ 01 Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Women and Child Affairs, I provide the following answer.

¶ 02 (a) (i) The Ministry does not presently have statistics on the number of children with disabilities aged 3–5. A mechanism is being developed to obtain this information.

¶ 03 (ii) Data are presently not available with the Ministry. The upcoming preschool census will collect information on all children with disabilities receiving preschool education.

¶ 04 (iii) By introducing preschool standards, provision has been made to create an inclusive environment within preschools.

¶ 05 (iv) Through the Morning Meal Programme for preschool children, enrolment from low-income families has increased.

¶ 06 (v) The National Standards Framework for Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centres provides guidance that facilities should be provided for children with disabilities in preschools.

¶ 07 (vi) Under the ECD Centre Standards, the following indicators are introduced:

¶ 08 - Domain 1: Physical Environment - Construct inclusive spaces enabling children with disabilities to access and play with all. - Buildings of ECD centres should be accessible to all children including those with disabilities. - The indoor environment should be attractive and equipped with sufficient essential furniture suitable for all children including those with disabilities. - Play equipment usable by children with disabilities should be available.

¶ 09 - Domain 4: Learning Environment - Use varied, meaningful methods to assess development and learning (observation, portfolios, checklists, culturally appropriate standardised assessments).

¶ 10 (vii) This Ministry has not issued circulars for preschool admissions; relevant tasks are carried out provincially by the respective Provincial Preschool Units/Authorities. As you know, under the 13th Amendment, many preschool functions are devolved to Provincial Councils.

¶ 11 (viii) Within the preschool teacher training syllabus, 50 study hours are introduced for working with children with disabilities. The National Secretariat for Early Childhood Development has included, in its 2026 annual action plan, a training programme to build teachers’ capacity to handle at-risk children, and the development of a handbook to raise awareness among preschool teachers on working with children with autism.

¶ 12 (b) Not applicable.