President meets MoE officials, discusses various changes
View(s):New school text books will not contain any photos of or messages from the Education Minister, and IT will be made compulsory for Grade 5 and above, as per the instructions of President Rajapaksa.
The President had met education officials recently, and stressed the importance of introducing changes to the education system from nursery to university level without delay, the President’s Media Division announced.
Combining schools with fewer students, and transforming the 19 teacher training colleges to universities are among the other top issues the President has instructed officials to look into.
“The government bears an immense cost when printing new books just to change the photo of the relevant minister. This will be halted,” President Rajapaksa said.
He requested senior education officials that the education policy be compiled according to international standards while obtaining suggestions from educationists and experts in the relevant fields. Cabinet, Parliament and public opinions are to be obtained when finalising policy.
President Rajapaksa pointed out that teaching Information Technology at Grade 10 or 11 is not practical as students are by then focused on the O/L exams. It would be better to teach IT at Grade 6 and make it a compulsory subject. The President instructed officials to get the private sector involved in providing technology equipment and internet facilities to all schools across the country.
He said once students are proficient in IT, it will be easier to implement online distant teaching-learning methods, and this will address the present shortage of English and Mathematics teachers.
Education Minister Dullas Alahapperuma had said that there are about 100 schools that have not received a single application for Grade 1 admission. Western Province Governor Dr Seetha Arambepola had said that there are about five to six schools with 200 or less students in her province. President Rajapaksa, taking these concerns into consideration, has instructed officials to combine these small schools and increase their quality of education.
The President also emphasised that teachers need to be well qualified in their respective fields, and therefore teacher training colleges should be provided with facilities to make them degree-awarding universities.
He said that the results of these changes will become evident in the next three years.