The Hon. (Mrs.) Saroja Savithri Paulraj - Minister of Women and Child Affairs

¶ 01 Hon. Leader of the Opposition, thank you for your interest in this sector. First, regarding preschool teachers: this is a private sector under State regulation; it is not a closed State service with a service minute, recruitment scheme, duty scheme and promotion structure. Therefore, we cannot pay them as members of a closed government service. We provide a stipend to encourage the service, which we have now increased to Rs. 6,000. We are also working to award NVQ certificates to all in preschool service, elevate the Preschool Advanced Diploma and, where possible, degree-level qualifications, and, by establishing a closed service framework, ensure professionalism and economic security. We are discussing this with the Ministry of Education.

¶ 02 We already monitor every preschool through the MOHs, measuring children’s height and weight. For those below standards, we have increased the breakfast allowance from Rs. 60 to Rs. 100. Improving educational quality and preschool nutrition is crucial. As you noted, by age three about 75 per cent, and by age five about 90 per cent, of brain development is achieved according to current findings. Therefore, we are organizing a nutrition programme accordingly. The National Secretariat for Early Childhood Development, the Ministry of Education and the National Institute of Education are working together to improve teacher quality, complete required qualifications, and bring all teachers into this service.

¶ 03 Thank you.