PUTTING more emphasis on Early Childhood Teachers (ECE) is what Honiara Council City (HCC) education authority needs to consider.
These were the words of Mbokonavera early childhood education supervisor Meleina Palmer at the closing a three day workshop on integrated yearly planning at the Honiara city council ECE centre near the national library yesterday.
Ms Palmer said early childhood education has been neglected by the council’s ECE department with lack of training and assistance being provided to this education stream.
“I said this because when we ask the education authority to financially assist us organise training for ECE teachers in Honiara they normally fail to provide funds for such training,” she claimed.
More than 80 ECE field based teachers at various ECE schools in Honiara under took the training this week which trained them how to draw up plans for their ECE centres.
The training was organised by Honiara Early Childhood Association (HECA) with funds coming from their own organised fundraisings and contributions.
Ms Palmer said it’s sad to see teachers themselves through their own hard work and pocket funding the workshop.
“Such training should be funded by HCC education authority through our ECE department because it’s important to training newly ECE teachers how to plan teaching.”
The training was organised to strength the field based teachers who are new ECE teaching plans, she explained.
She added ECE is the core foundation of education and therefore ECE should be prioritised.
“ECE is the core foundation of education before students go to primary and secondary.
“And if we fail to strengthen the foundation of our young children then we would reap the consequences later. Therefore I urged HCC and the national government to continue support ECE.”
Meanwhile Ms Palmer thanked ECE teachers who have made an effort to attend the three days training.
At the closing a number of activities and entertainment were staged by the teachers.
By DENVER NEWTER
