Hundred and twenty five new national schools to be built by the end of next year
View(s):A minimum of three national schools for each DS Division
“A total of 125 new national schools will be built by the end 2021, starting with DS divisions where there are no national schools,” he said.
“People are sending at least 50 letters every day requesting for good schools in their areas,” said the Education Minister.
Prof. Peiris also said the Ministry was seeking the assistance of principals in large schools in a bid to improve a number of less-privileged, smaller schools in their respective areas.
“The idea is for some resources of the bigger schools to be shared with poorer schools,” he said, when joining the Committee Stage Debate between the financial heads of the Education Ministry, the Women and Child Development, Pre-schools and Primary Education, School Infrastructure and Education Services State Ministry, the Education Reforms, Open Universities and Distance Learning Promotion State Ministry, the Skills Development, Vocational Education, Research and Innovation State Ministry and the Dhamma schools, Pirivenas and Bhikkhu Education State Ministry on the 2021 budget.
At the debate, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Parliamentarian Eran Wickramaratne presented with a plethora of facts regarding the country’s tertiary education sector. The Minister pointed out that 33 percent of the country’s pupils leave school to join the labour market every year with no skills, thus contributing to the youth unemployment in 15-24 age group.
He also pointed out that the Government had not been prepared, nor data had been compiled related to online teaching system that was introduced due to the pandemic. He questioned the Government officials if they had any idea how people could afford to pay for a smart phone or if rural children had access to 4G technology. Mr. Wickramaratne also said education is the ladder of social climbing.
“The Government does not have any data on formal online education. Once the pandemic is over a large section of school children could be alienated from formal school education,” the Minister said.
The Government MPs who were then in the Opposition, opposed the giving of Tabs to Advanced Level (A/L) students. They said it was “a political motivated media show,” the Minister added.
Presenting a vast collection of statistics Mr. Wickramaratne attempted to show where the country stands in terms of tertiary education. He pointed out that out of 267,111 students who sat for the 2018 A/L examinations, 62 percent of these students, numbering 167,907, had passed the exams. However, only 21 percent, or 31,451 students, were eligible to enter state universities, he said.
He said the gross university enrolment ratio was currently at 21 percent in Sri Lanka, whereas in Japan it was at 62 percent, which is higher than in India or in Sri Lanka. Likewise, the gross expenditure on tertiary education as percentage of country’s GDP is 0.34 percent. Mr. Wickramaratne said this figure has been stagnant for many years, and it was a low percentage in comparison to other South Asian and South East Asian countries.
Mr. Wickramaratne was of the view that most of the current courses in universities were not relevant to the job market while some universities lack quality education. The majority of undergraduates with degrees in the arts and humanities stream had less demand in the job market, so their degrees are irrelevant, he said.
“The Moratuwa University maintains a good standard, and the university should have the freedom to maintain it. There needs to be healthy competition among universities to maintain their standards,” Mr. Wickramaratne said.
He also said a single and centralised body such as the University Grants Commission (UGC) taking decisions on behalf of all the universities, hinders the academic independence of these universities.
Moreover, the Education Minister said schools would be reopened only in the non-risk areas and other schools would remain closed. He also said out of 10,165 schools around 5100 schools were re-opened.
Prof. Pieris said it had been a challenge to conduct the 2020 A/L exams for 326,000 students. He also took up the challenge of holding the grade five scholarship exams and released the results in 36 days.
Commenting on the O/L exams the Minister said it was difficult to hold the exams in January 2921, as only half the number of schools were re-opened, depriving nearly half of the 621,000 O/L students the opportunity to attend school.
“I think it is unjust by students who cannot attend school to sit for the exam in January,” he said.
However, the Minister promised to hold the O/L exams as soon as possible “with six weeks’ notice in advance.”
Furthermore, instead of around 3000 people coming to the Education Ministry in Isurupaya to resolve their problems on the public day, Prof. Peiris had decided to go to each province instead.
“We have gone to Hambantota, Badulla and Polonnnaruwa. One of the common issues people have are a lack of teachers to teach Science, Maths and English,” he added.
- Wasantha Ramanayake