National curriculum framework for early childhood education launched

Colombo, Nov. 21 (Daily Mirror) - Sri Lanka today launched the National Curriculum Framework for Early Childhood Education, marking a major step in strengthening the country’s early childhood learning system. 

The ceremony was held at the Ministry of Education under the patronage of Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

The new curriculum framework was simultaneously introduced on the National Institute of Education’s Channel NIE website (channelnie.nie.ac.lk). It has been developed by the National Institute of Education (NIE) to address longstanding disparities in early childhood education across the country and to establish a uniform, nationally aligned curriculum for all early learning centres. The framework also supports global education goals and focuses on promoting the well-being and holistic development of young children in Sri Lanka.

As part of the broader national education reforms, the National Policy on Pre-School Education was prepared and validated through collaboration between the National Education Commission, NIE, Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, Health Promotion Bureau, Family Health Bureau, Open University of Sri Lanka, Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission, and UNICEF Sri Lanka.

The new pre-school education policy is expected to come into effect in 2027. Ahead of its implementation, a training of trainers programme will be held next week at the MAS Athena Institute in Tulhiriya. The programme will be jointly conducted by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, and the NIE, with both financial and technical support from UNICEF.