EDUCATION Minister Priya Manickchand recently met with parents and teachers of the Smyth Street Nursery School to enlighten the former on the numerous ways in which they can prepare their children for entry into nursery school.

During this initiative, which is gaining considerable momentum countrywide, Minister Manickchand highlighted a number of important developmental issues that are of interest to children entering nursery school in September 2014.

She said, “The child being able to use the toilet, and (to) eat independently, knowing their correct name and each of their parents’ names is very important and necessary”.

She also noted that it is important that parents teach their children the correct names for their body parts, the alphabet, letter sounds, and alphabet recognition. Other skills parents can teach their children in speech, for the first year of nursery includes the development of small muscles and acquisition of social skills and manners.

Manickchand encouraged parents to be their children’s first teachers; and she complimented the parents present for showing up at this meeting, as it indicated their seriousness about their children’s development.
The Minister said this group of pupils is coming into the school system at the best time of the history of our country, when every single nursery school child will be benefiting from a snack every day, provided by the Government, and children would have readers and workbooks, and the highest number of trained teachers to attend to their needs; not to mention that each child is now entitled to receiving $10,000 year year from the education grant.

In 2013, the Ministry changed its nursery school admission policy to allow younger children to enroll into nursery this year. Minister Manickchand noted that it would have been impossible last year for more than 3000 children to enter nursery school. The new policy states that a child must be three years old on or before June 30 of the year their parents wish to enroll them in a public nursery school.

Similar meetings are to be held across the country over the next few days, at which the Ministry of Education will be meeting mainly with parents of all the first-year nursery school students with the view to inspire parents to play their part in starting the education process at home.
Written By Rebecca Ganesh-Ally