Pre-School in Maruthamunai.

More than a Pre school – fostering fundamental human values

The preschool age is such an exciting time, children are soaking up so much information and changing by the day. For many children, preschool is their first experience in a structured setting with teachers and groups of children. It’s an opportunity to learn to share, make choices, follow instructions, and begin the foundation for learning that will occur not only in elementary school but throughout their lives.

With this in mind Muslim Women’s Research and Action Forum (MWRAF) soon after the tsunami disaster in 2007 established a pre-school with the objective of promoting and strengthening relationships and ethnic harmony between the Tamil and Muslim communities who were in conflict at the time and to guide the children to grow up to be good citizens. The Pre- School in Maruthamunai (predominantly a Muslim village) – in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka and is housed in a building owned by MWRAF. It is registered under the Pre School Education Bureau – Eastern Provincial Council.

The Pre School which caters to children of the area whose parents cannot afford to send their children to fee levying Pre Schools. It was started with two teachers – one Tamil and one Muslim for approximately 30 children from both Muslim and Tamil communities. Both teachers are certified trainers (diploma from the National Pre School Development Foundation) and the curriculum is also government approved one. Due to requests from the community the school was expanded to cater for 45 children.

In addition to the normal training activities the children are also taken on a school trip every year, and they also have a concert at the end of the year and a passing out ceremony where children are given a certificate. The Preschool is run with donations from well-wishers and since of late the teachers get a small stipend from the government.

It is of paramount importance to continue the pre-school to help the underprivileged children of this area to get a good basic education in a conducive environment as well as promote ethnic harmony. The Pre School has a very good reputation and even parents with means want to send their children to this Pre School.