Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education Dr. Harini Amarasuriya has stressed the need for all sectors of society to work together to create an environment where every child is treated with care and sensitivity.
She said raising awareness among parents and other members of society about the needs and protection of children is a responsibility shared by political authorities and officials involved in early childhood education.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while attending an event at the Ministry of Education premises in Isurupaya to launch the Teacher’s Guide and Activity Guide developed under the National Early Childhood Education Curriculum Framework.
The early childhood support resource package, developed under the theme “Starting Right” for every child, consists of four key areas: the Teacher’s Guide, Proposed Activities Guide, Teaching and Learning Materials Manual, and Master Material Training Manual.
The guides have been designed to provide teachers, trainers and other stakeholders with practical guidance to implement activities aligned with the National Early Childhood Development Curriculum Framework. The overall objective is to establish a strong foundation for providing quality education from the earliest stages of every child’s life.
The programme has been implemented through the joint efforts of several institutions under the direction of the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education and the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, with support from UNICEF.
The resource package was officially launched on the website of the National Institute of Education under the patronage of Prime Minister Amarasuriya.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said the Teacher’s Guide and Proposed Activities Guide had been introduced within a year of the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework, despite various challenges.
She commended the commitment shown by officials of the National Institute of Education and other institutions in completing the initiative.
Prime Minister Amarasuriya said the ongoing education reforms were designed to begin with early childhood education, with a focus on a child-centred, exploratory and activity-based learning approach.
She noted that Sri Lanka was working towards establishing an interconnected education system that develops progressively from early childhood education to higher education.
The objective, she said, is to move beyond an education system focused solely on providing knowledge and instead develop children’s ability to apply and assess what they learn.
The Prime Minister also stressed the importance of proper monitoring when implementing the new guidelines nationwide and called on provincial education authorities to ensure their effective implementation.
She further highlighted the need to train teachers on the new teaching methods while also educating parents on how early childhood education should be provided.
“We must examine how a young child can be treated insensitively despite our belief that children should receive the best, be protected and be loved,” she said, emphasizing the need to identify and address the factors that create such situations.
She added that society must also create an environment that enables caregivers to build stable lives while ensuring the safety and well-being of the children under their care.
Meanwhile, Minister of Women and Child Affairs Saroja Savithri Paulraj said her ministry began 2026 with a firm commitment to developing the early childhood sector in every aspect.
She described the new resource package as a strong foundation for the future generation and said the government aims to establish a nationwide preschool system operating under a single national policy by 2027, where parents can confidently place their children.
Deputy Minister of Women and Child Affairs Dr. Namal Sudarshana, Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education Nalaka Kaluwewa, Director General of the National Institute of Education Senior Professor O. G. Dayaratne Banda, additional secretaries, provincial education authorities and representatives of UNICEF were also present at the event.
