Pre-school extend to villages with Japanese help 
[September 9 2010]
By Nilma Dole 

  

<p>Extending pre-school education in rural areas in Sri Lanka will help rural children to become successful adults in the future, Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Kunio Takashi said. 

  

  

<p>He said that pre-school education will have a positive effect on society by starting early and parents will be benefited by it. 

<p>"Since Sri Lankans place emphasis on educating their children, we know that implementing 

<p>pre-school educational programs will develop physical and mental 

<p>well-being of any child and their parents can learn too," he said. 

<p>The Japanese government pledged nearly Rs.58 million to the Plantation 

<p>Rural Education and Development Organisation (PREDO) and to the Save the 

<p>Children Foundation of Japan (SCJ) in the area of pre-school education 

<p>development and livelihood benefits. Moreover, the Japanese government 

<p>aims at offering livelihood and SME opportunities (Small Medium 

<p>Enterprise) to those in the resettled Trincomalee villages to empower