Donation

A revolutionary/innovative approach to advance the educational potential and life chances of children in Sri Lanka

Long neglected preschool community – children, parents and teachers

The most important stage of children’s brain development was not taken into consideration when our otherwise world-renowned free education system was set up in Sri Lanka by C.W.W. Kannagkara. soon after independence in 1948. Free School Education in Sri Lanka was set up with great hopes at enormous cost to the tax payer without any provision for the preschool foundation stage.

Consequently, the opportunity for Sri Lankan children to achieve as high as 90% brain development before the age of 5 is lost. Post independent marginalization of Tamil speaking people, pogroms, ethnic conflicts, wars and displacements have particularly retarded the educational potential of the people we left behind in Sri Lanka.

Strengthening preschool education in the North, East and the Hill Country is therefore a priority now. The biggest stumbling block we face now is due to the fact that our preschool teachers do not have the required qualifications to nurture and develop our preschool children. Currently we are training our preschool teachers, batch by batch by providing them a rigorous, nationally recognized, 2-year, week end only, preschool diploma program at University of Jaffna (60 teachers at Jaffna campus and 60 teachers at Kilinochchi campus), at University of Vavuniya (50 teachers), at Kokuvil College of Technology (40 teachers). The teachers cannot afford the Rs.60, 000 university/college fees because their income is below Rs. 10, 000 per month ($25). EDC SL is therefore paying their fees as scholarships, which is currently Rs.12.6 M per batch (210 teachers at Rs.60, 000).

To continue this program in order to develop the brain capacity, creativity and the intellectual potential of our community we desperately need your understanding and voluntary donations on a regular basis until the training of these teachers are completed. After 2029 the NPP government is planning to formalize preschool education and bring it under the umbrella of State Free Education System.

We think providing this vital foundation in education is the most sustainable approach to help our community to become self-sufficient and independent. The rationale behind this project is scientifically sound.

Education Development Consortium (EDC Sri Lanka and EDC UK) and Newlife Educational Aid Trust (our fund-raising arm) have come together to make this project a success.

We ask you not only to donate what you can but to become involved in our work and give us the

benefit of your knowledge and experience. Please make all donations to the Name and account details given below.

Education Development Consortium (Sri Lanka)

Account Name : METRO Bank 

Account Name : NEAT SL

Account Number : 56784071

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