IOM donates bicycles to 120 pre-school teachers in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 August 2005, 01:45 GMT]
International Organization for Migration (IOM) funded by the Government of Australia donated bicycles to 120 pre-school teachers of all three communities in Trincomalee district at an event held in the Trincomalee Town Hall Wednesday under the sponsorship of Tamil Rehabilitation Organization. These pre-school teachers were trained by the Pre-School Education Centre (PSEDC), which has its headquarters in Killinochchi.



A consignment of sports equipments to pre-schools was also donated at the event.

Mr.R.Thiakalingam, North East Provincial Education Ministry Secretary who was the chief guest at the event inaugurated the distribution of cycles to pre-school teachers and sport equipments to pre-schools.

Mr.T. Muralitharan, IOM Trincomalee District Project Officer said the IOM has been providing necessary assistance to displaced families who are returning from India to resettle in their own villages. In addition it has been implementing projects providing temporary shelters to tsunami-affected people with livelihood assistance. Now the IOM has been supporting the pre-school teachers trained by the PSEDC of the TRO by providing bicycles to overcome traveling difficulties now they are undergoing in rural areas. The IOM has also been supplying sports materials to be used in pre-schools, he added.

Mr.Thiayakalingam said the moulding of a new generation with love, compassion and understanding each other and to respect others' rights is in the hands of pre-school teachers. Hence the pre-schools play a vital in producing children with better understanding of human values when they join formal education in schools.

Mr.C.Kumarakuruparan, Secretary of the Trincomalee District Tamil Rehabilitation Organization said the pre-school teachers should instill in the minds of children the spirit of unity and national harmony.

Ms Jamuna of the Save the Children and Ms Jeya Thambiah, Assistant Director of Education in charge pre-schools in the northeast province in the provincial ministry of education also spoke at the event. Mr.V.Kalaivarnan, Trinco TRO Project Officer conducted the proceedings. Ms Nithiya, Trincomalee District Co-ordinator of the PSEDC made the welcome address. Pre-school teacher from each community thanked the IOM for its assistance to them, sources said.