Sri Lanka Education Forum

Rohan MathesCOLOMBO: The new recommendations of the National Education Commission (NEC) on admissions to Year One, following the recent Supreme Court decision, was handed over to President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees yesterday. Thereafter, a lengthy round of preliminary discussions took place between President Rajapaksa and the representatives of the NEC including NEC Chairman Dr. A.V. Suraweera, Vice Chairman Lal Perera and the Secretary C.W. Ranjith Premasiri, Acting Education Minister Nirmala Kothalawela, President's Secretary Lalith Weeratunga, Education Ministry Secretary Ariyarathna Hewage, Presidential Advisor Dr. T.W. Epasinghe and other officials to explore the possibilities on the proper implementation of the recommendations, in ...

(LeN-2007 June 18, 7.50 pm) The Ordinary Level examination is one of the crucial examinations in the country which decides the future education of the children but it is sad to note that 52.7% of the applicants who sat for the exam have failed it. According to statistics issued by the Examinations commissioner General Anura Edirisinghe 21,813 students have not passed a single language. But the latest information is that Education Minister's daughter has also failed the examination. She is being educated in one of the top most schools in Colombo 04. Statistics issued by the examinations department say 57.3% of the students ...

Nishantha KAMALADASA LITERACY: Computer literacy and English language skills are necessary to build a competent employee required by the corporate sector. However this competency is absent in many educated youth. This is in spite of increased Government and parental spending. These two important subject areas have not reached the expected level of achievement because they also have been taught by teachers at classes but not been learnt by the students. They did not learn English or ICT because they had not used either, in the process of learning. This dilemma reminds us about the famous Chinese proverb which says "You forget what you hear and see, but remember what you do". We ...

Information Communication Technology (ICT) will be included as a subject in the Advanced Level examination curriculum from 2009, said Secretary to the Ministry of Education Ariyarathne Hewage. He said approval for the ICT policy for education will be obtained soon and it will help develop capacity, train teachers, set up ICT centres and build private public partnerships. Ariyarathne was addressing the academia career guidance pre meet organised by the Information Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) which will host the National ICT Capacity Summit and National ICT Career Fair (NICS 2007) from September 1-2 in Colombo. Ariyarathne said information technology and computer science has grown at a phenomenal rate to a US$ ...

By circular 890 dated June 07th the University Grants Commission has ruled that all employees who do not report to work due to trade union action be treated as no-pay absentees. http://ugc.ac.lk/policy/circulars/MainIndex/MainPage.htm. This means that all this time striking university workers had nothing to lose. Typically, workers on strike are paid out of union funds, receiving what is called strike pay. Strike pay is less than regular pay but gives the workers enough to get by. This way both employers and employees have incentive to come to the bargaining table. Unions are complaining about the new circular but let us hope ...

Education authorities in Sri Lanka have denied the right of a girl to education after she was raped, a rights watchdog said. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) said the principal of a school in Galle has refused to allow the victim to resume her education in the school. “The Principal has stated that the girl denied entry because she is now a disgrace and a bad example to the other students,” a statement issued by the watchdog said. Nadin Ishan Chandika, a resident in Ahangama, is accused of raping the 15-year old girl on 29 December 2006, according to the AHRC. Nadin and ...

  Unemployment is an issue in most of the countries, developing or developed. ‘Graduate Unemployment’ is perhaps a burning issue unique to Sri Lanka. Many, not just the unemployed graduates, think we should treat that issue with utmost importance. Ethnic issue or inflation can wait, but not graduate employment.   Any idea why the issue assumes such a high priority?   Frankly, if I were to take a choice I will always give priority to the issue of ‘Non-Graduate Unemployment’. These are my reasons.   o       Numbers: The number of unemployed non-graduates is about 25 times more than the number of unemployed graduates.   o       Theoretically it is ...

Prof. Wisawa Warnapala, minister for higher education, was invited to say a few words at the University Librarians Association annual conference on June 8th and he took nearly one hour to reminisce about the good old times, complain about the non-academic staff, faculty and lack of scholarship, students and lack of love of learning and many other ills of the university system. Then he went on (again*) to stress the need for a vision, mission, goals objectives etc. This is coming from a man who, on his own admission, has been in positions of power in the academia for decades, and ...

A speech made by Prof. Wiswa Warnapala - Minister of Higher Education at the Conference of Vice Chancellors held at the University Grants Commission on May 4, 2007 SPEECH: The purpose of this meeting is to enter into an active dialogue with the Vice Chancellors of the Universities of Sri Lanka, and the primary aim of the dialogue is to make use of the experience of the distinguished Vice Chancellors in formulating a new Higher Education policy for the country. The objectives of Higher Education, due to a wide variety of reasons, have undergone a change, and the university system, which came ...

COLOMBO: President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday urged the teaching community to serve the poor and the less-privileged students in the remotest areas of the country and thereby protect the country's 'Free Education' mechanism. President Rajapaksa was speaking at the handing over of appointment letters to Diploma Holders in Teaching to 2,599 new diplomates. Making a symbolic handing over of appointment letters to a selected number of teachers who had successfully completed their training and qualified to receive the 'Diploma in Teaching' for 2007, the President asserted that his Government aims to provide equal opportunities in education to all, sans any irregularities, irrespective of ...