Children are most often regarded by their parents as their most precious possession- and it is thus, only natural that parents would want to do the best for their children. Many share the sentiments that education is the best gift that parents can give their children. If one were to subscribe to this view, then one would certainly want that education to have a good foundation. The first five or six years in a child's life are said to be vital, as it is during this stage that the child observes and learns from what is happening around him, and develops a positive attitude towards life.
Many Lankan parents start educating their children from the tender age of two-and-half years by sending them to a Montessori or Pre-School, where children learn their early lessons until they are of the eligible age to enter a school. Thus it is important that the child is sent to a Montessori that provides a solid foundation for his academic career.
Some of the most upto-date pre-schools are run by the Sarvodaya Movement, the Girl Guides Association, the Young Women's Christian Association, the Young Women's Buddhist Association, the Young Men's Christian Association and other voluntary organizations. These are run by AMI Montessori Diploma holders.
However recently, Montessoris or Pre-Schools have sprung up in practically every nook and corner of the country, and it is debatable whether the children are taught according to the "Montessori Method", or methods adopted by the owner of the school."
Equally questionable is the quality of teaching staff and whether they have the necessary qualifications, i.e., a diploma in Montessori education that is needed for the task of teaching impressionable young minds.
What are the basic facilities and qualifications that are required to start a Montessori? According to Chereen Dharmaratne, Principal of the Havelock Gardens Montessori School, a Montessori should have spacious, well ventilated class-rooms, equipped with the proper Montessori apparatus.
The equipment should contain apparatus needed for "exercises of practical life", i.e. sensorial material, a wide range of apparatus for number, percussion band and even a garden which contains equipment for gymnastics such as a balancing bar, climbing frame etc. . "She added that the class-rooms should have a few good pictures hung at the eye level of the children, while the toilet, furniture should also be low and within the reach of the children. "All my teachers are Diploma holders and the children are between tow and-a-half years to five years. Students who attend a Montessori are definitely at an advantage as they are able to absorb lessons easily, grasp things quickly, have a positive attitude to life and are confident and fare well when they proceed to school" she added.
While most of the Montessoris the "Sunday Times" visited conformed to these standards, some were located in merely a small room, with very little space for the children to run about and little ventilation. Some did not have the appropriate equipment, having merely a few building blocks, jig-saw puzzles etc. However, owners of these Institutions claim that there is a growing demand for these schools and some of them even have "Day-Care" centres to assist children whose parents are working, or have no domestic ai des .
Officials at the National Institute of Education (NIE) at Maharagama said that most of these Montessoris or Pre-Schools are run by NGO's and private individuals and therefore the government has no direct control over them. Mrs. Chandra Samarasinghe, Chief Project Officer of the Primary Section at the NIE said that at some Pre-Schools students are taught to count upto 1000, sometimes even at the age of three, and this, in a sense, was robbing the children of their childhood. "
The level of teaching and curriculum varies according to the Pre-Schools as do the qualifications of the teachers, but the teachers should at least have a Diploma," she added. She also said that sometimes the children are pressurised by ambitious parents who switch them over to another . Pre-School if they are not taught what the parents think they should know.
Director of the Primary Section at the NIE, Dr. J.L.S. Nanayakkara said that there was a proposal to establish a mechanism to ensure certain standards at National level on pre-school education, but this was still at discussion stage. He added that children learn a lot between the ages of three-five and are prepared to receive a formal education when they enter school.
"Sometimes they are taught to count in a parrot-like manner at a very early stage and too much learning could be harmful to the child' s future development" he added. According to Dr. Nanayakkara local bodies in certain areas like the Provincial Councils and Pradeshiya Sabhas had some sort of control over the opening up of Pre-Schools, but there are no set rules and regulation which such institutions. He added that according to what they had observed in certain areas, some Pre-Schools had been established without any permission from the authorities.
An official of the Good Shepherd Maria Montessori Training Centre said that generally at the end of the two.- year course provided by the Institute, many teachers open up their own Pre-Schools. According to the official it is important that these Montessoris adopt the "Montessori Method" and have all the equipment. "The first six years in a child' s life are an important period, and therefore at such a school, they should be taught to live and behave in society. Apart from exercises in practical life and teaching them to refine their senses such as smelling, hearing etc., we also teach them writing, arithmetic and the basics of Geography, and Botany. Thus it is vital that the teacher has a knowledge of all this," she said.
Pre-School education does not merely consist of children learning to take part in concerts, drills and other extra-curricular activities. Today opening Montessoris has fast become a means of obtaining money, commented one official. "They are money-making institutions and they have the bare minimum of equipment needed to start a Montessori. A Montessori education should ideally lay the foundation for a child to become an adult", the official said.
The official also added that the basic qualification to start a Montessori is the successful completion of the two year AMI Montessori Course. The official went on to say that this course which is taught at the Training Centre consists of Theory of the Montessori Method and how it differs fromother methods of education. It also has Child Psychology, stressing on the importance of the absorbent mind of the child, practical activities in daily living (sweeping, cleaning etc.), as well as introducing the child tolanguages, reading, writing, arithmetic (beginning with quantities),Botany, and Geography.
While most of the parents were satisfied with the Pre-Schools their children attended, some expressed concern at the Montessoris which were springing up in virtually every corner of the city.
K. Perera, whose three year old daughter attends a Montessori at the top of their road said that theywere compelled to send their daughter there as it was convenient and also had a day-care Centre.
"However, I find that the level of teaching is lower than what some of my friends' children who attend other Pre-Schools receive. The facilities they have are not as good as some of the other Montessoris, and some of the teachers have merely their O/L qualifications," she said.
Malathi Wickremanayake whose four year old son attends an AMI Montessori said that the early years are an important period in the child' sdevelopment process.
However, I feel that the children are sometimestaught beyond their capacity and sometimes even things which are taughtin Year-One are taught at the Montessori Level. Of course such children willbe at an advantage when they eventually proceed to school, but it isimportant to ensure that the children are not pushed beyond their capacityand deprived of their childhood," she added.Another parent said that apart from learning the basics of Arithmetic,Languages etc. at Montessori, Children should also taught to socialize andintegrate with each other. It is important that this aspect of the Montessorilife is not overlooked in the rush to speed up the children's s learning progress.
Although there are Pre-Schools that are run by efficient and devotedteachers and those that know the modern techniques of how to handlesmall children and groom them to enter the secondary schools,unfortunately this is not the case with many of the country's s Montessorisori Pre-Schools. It is up to the state authorities to take action to register these schoolsauthorities and maintain the necessary standards and checks before thefuture of thousands of small children is hampered due to individuals whoare merely interested in making a fast buck.
The Police Families Welfare Association looks back with pride on twenty five years of devoted service to the families of those below the rank of ASPs.
In 1971, the then IGP's wife Maya Senanayake was concerned about the large number of police families who had lost the head of the house as a result of JVP insurgency. Several of these families had left their homes and gone back to their villages, bereft of hope and their wherewithal.
In the midst of this, the wives of the gazetted officers met at a get-together, only to find they did not know each other. So Maya Senanayake explains, 'We introduced each other and I said we are only looking after ourselves, let's get together and work for the families who have been left destitute with the loss of the head of the family. Let us trace them and at the same time we can help other families too who need help and comfort and hope from us."
With idealism, this devoted band of women led by Maya Senanayake with the eager support of Krishna Seneviratne, wife of Ana Seneviratne and other enthusiastic police officers wives (without whose help and support I could not have carried on said Maya) began an outstanding social service movement to help police families in need.
"We found there were many widows desperate for help since they had no cash in hand. They seemed to have had no savings. So we began donating cash to them. You ask from where we found the cash?
It is first, with determination to succeed. We organised cookery demonstrations, and many diplomats heeded our cry for help and gave us many an imported item then not available over here which we raffled."
"In 1972 we had an Avurudu Pola and it was a tremendous success. We got more and more ambitious and managed to build a small place for us on Police grounds and Keppitipola Mawatha, where we stared sewing classes for the daughters and wives of police families."
Providing housing came later with the Seva Vanitha, Maya explained. "Personally I was not for it for how many houses could we provide? It was a matter for the police force as a whole.
I concentrated on multiple projects which my band of police officers wives thought was a sound idea."
"We had family planning clinics and awarded annual scholarships to those children who entered university. Up to now, we have given over twenty five scholarships. There were times we felt despondent, but we perked up, considering how many police people, I mean their families, depended on us."
"The police built the most marvelous modern hospital at Narahenpitiya and we helped the wives and children needing medicines to buy them from the hospital
"Our most ambitious project came about when I went to India with my husband and saw how the Indian women had organised social welfare projects under the most primitive conditions . They helped to start mini garment factories where the girls from police families sewed the police uniforms with thread and cloth provided for them. They lived in primitive conditions with poor housing facilities but with courage they carried on their welfare work."
"I came back and was determined to convince my set of police wives to do the same. We first visited factories here and learnt from them, the whole gamut of how to start a garment factory. How to iron, how to sew button holes, how to sew elegant collars.
Hitherto the police had used tailors, who we found asked for an extra yard of material which they sold. We started small with 60 girls but with mega ambitions. We found we had collected six million rupees through the years and so we built a hall which police families could use free for occasions and above it a modest factory to sew police uniforms. Today we have 85 girls and women working there. They turn out fifty thousand pieces per year. They charge 105 rupees for a trouser and 60 rupees for a shirt."
"They are paid factory wages plus perks, starting at 2000 rupees per month.
This has given many married women a new lease of life, as she is proud to be earning a living and contributing to the family funds."
Maya saw her rosy dreams become a reality. "Today, we are a very happy group of people but I must say all this was possible because those wives working with me met the many challenges and worked devotedly for what we consider a worthwhile cause," she added.
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