Sri Lanka Education Forum

University students in Sri Lanka have accused the government of secretly working on agenda to privatise state universities.   Duminda Nagamuva, convenor of Inter University Student Union (IUSU), accused President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government of gradually reducing budget allocation for state universities.  "The allocation was reduced by 20 per cent in January. Another 50 per cent was recently reduced announced," he told BBC Sandeshaya.  Commenting on a recent report by government auditors, Nagamuva said the government has lost Rs. 389,000 million as they have failed to collect the tax revenue.  Another Rs. 150,000 million ...

Applications for grade one from Aug. 15; List to be finalised by November 15 50 marks for child’s intelligence and aptitude 40 marks for parental consideration 10 marks for brother-sister category The Supreme Court yesterday approved the much-looked forward to draft circular on the national policy for school admission and management of schools, and ordered that public schools call for applications for grade one admissions for next year from August 15. The Bench comprising Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva, Justices Raja Fernando and Jagath Balapatabendi said the Presidential Secretary would monitor the implementation ...

COLOMBO: The protest conducted by the students of Rajarata University was called off after an assurance given to the agitators by Higher Education Minister Prof. Wiswa Warnapala that the Ministry would take immediate action to address students' grievances. The Minister agreed to solve most of the demands of the students at the meeting held at the Higher Education Ministry with ten members of the students' union yesterday afternoon. The Minister said that he has submitted a Cabinet paper last Wednesday and received the Cabinet approval to construct two hostels which would facilitate accommodation of 800 students. Accordingly, the Government has allocated ...

This year and perhaps hereafter children will be allocated schools largely according to their intelligence/aptitude levels. 25% of the marks are given for intelligence (= capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding, and similar forms of mental activity; aptitude in grasping truths, relationships, facts, meanings, etc. – from dictionary.com) AND 25% for aptitude. (= capability; ability; innate or acquired capacity for something; talent – from dictionary.com)    Once they distinguish ‘intelligence’ from ‘aptitude’ we guess the educational authorities will decide how to measure both in 5 year olds – who cannot read and write anyway.    It is well known fact that till three years ...

According to a report in Financial Times "Despite the rapid depreciation of the Sri Lanka rupee, more and more students are seeking a foreign professional qualification which require costly foreign cash." http://www.sundaytimes.lk/070729/FinancialTimes/ft326.html Interestingly, most CVs we see these days cite a local degree and  CIMA  as qualifications, both completed at about the same time. In essence, we are giving free-of-charge education that  (a) needs another professional qualification to prop it up (b) is spent on some people who can afford to pay (c) ends up ill-serving those who are supposed to benefit. I like to elaborate on the last point. Take the ...

(Lanka e News - 2007 July 25, 4.30 PM) A student monk and few more students were injured and hospitalized due to a clash between JVP led Students' Council and the Science Faculty Council of the Kelaniya University yesterday (24). Registrar of the University Mr. Karunarathna said that the authorities decided to close the university after a discussion between the Vice Chancellor and the Police. The date of opening is yet to be announced. The registrar said that 75% of the students had left the hostels by this morning. He further said that university buildings and the vehicles of the academic ...

HSBC recently launched an educational environment programme for 400 schoolchildren in five schools, namely Weddagala Maha Vidyalaya, Pothupitiya Maha Vidyalaya, Kudawa Maha Vidyalaya, Gamini Maha Vidyalaya and Thiriwanaketiya Vidyalaya, which are situated in and around the vicinity of the Sinharaja forest. The need to conserve the Sinharaja rainforest is becoming increasingly important to Sri Lanka with climate change being seen as a serious threat to the world. Therefore, HSBC, together with Field Orthinology Group (FOG) attached to the University of Colombo, took this initiative in order to sensitize students to the environmental issues facing the Sinharaja rainforest and to create a core ...

Teachers of Dhaka University on Saturday took classes wearing black badges as a sign of protest against the harassment of and repression on the two former prime ministers—detained Awami League president Sheikh Hasina and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia. The DU teachers will also observe half-day work abstention today as part of their two-day protest programmes and decide on their next course of action depending on the government’s response to the five-point demand they made at an emergency meeting of the Dhaka University Teachers’ Association on Thursday, leaders of the association said.    ‘All the teachers irrespective of their political belief took classes wearing ...

COLOMBO: President Mahinda Rajapaksa affirmed his commitment to provide equal educational rights and opportunities to all, sans racial, religious, castes or other prejudices. President Rajapaksa made this affirmation on Tuesday when he presided at the annual 2005/2006 prize giving of his Alma Mater, Thurstan College Colombo, to distribute prizes and special merit and skills awards to the winners. “I have allocated Rs. 70 million in the last budget, a sum never allocated in the past, intending to provide quality education to all, based on the premise that it is the onus and obligation of the Government to do so,” ...

This unedited and apparently amateurish video clip available in You Tube shows Mr. Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the President speaks to a group of villagers and teachers at Mahavilachchiya on the issues related to school education. Gives a good idea about the type of problems at the village level. We will be glad to know how or whether the things changed after this discussion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRNpg7Kdtdo