Entries from January 2008 ↓

Submission of Proposals for formulating a New Education Act

On the Directions of His Excellency the President, the Minister of Education, Hon. Susil Premajayantha has appointed a National Committee under the chairmanship of Dr G. B. Gunawardena and comprising panel of eminent scholars in the field of Education to inquire into the Education Ordinance No.31 of 1939 and its amendments, identify aspects appropriate for the present and formulate a New Act for General Education in Sri Lanka.

Accordingly, the Committee has commenced its activities on formulating a new Education Act.

As education has turned out to be the principal factor that affects the human resource development in the modern world and as persons from multifarious levels contributing to it cover entire society, the committee accepts that ideas and suggestions submitted by the general public and various institutions and organizations are of paramount importance in connection with this task. The knowledge base accumulated through a broad forum such as this, would help establish a more pragmatic and viable legal Framework for the future education in the country.

Having taken into consideration the above facts, the Committee has decided to hear and draw ideas and opinions from the public as well as various organizations and institutions.

Therefore, the Committee hereby calls upon institutions, organizations, various stakeholders, in the field of education and general public to forward their ideas on the contents of the proposed Act under the following sections related to education.

Section identified for the submission of ideas and suggestions:

1. Guiding Principles

• Rights, Duties and Privileges, and Equal opportunities
• Education for all
• Full development of Sri Lankans in all aspects
• Learning process
• Unity in policy and decentralization of Authority
• Professional Standards of Teachers and other Educational Personnel
• Resources – Sources and utilization
• Differently abled children
• Free and Compulsory Education
• Parent’s Role and their duties
• State and Education – Provision by Private Sector
• Involvement of Non Government Organizations in Education
• Community and School Education
• Medium of instruction, Teaching of Religion

2. Education System – Structure and Process

• Central Authority, Provincial Authority and Statutory Bodies (13^th Amendment to the Constitution)
• Formal and Non formal Education, Types of institutions
• State, Private and International Schools. Structure andClassification.
  Admission and Attendance, Class structure, school hours and terms
• Compulsory Education
• Curriculum (development, implementation and monitoring)
• Co-curricular Activities and Ancillary Services
• Discipline
• Levels of Education
• Pre Schools
• Guidance and Counseling

3. Education Management, Leadership and Supervision
and Evaluation

• Acquisition and Vesting of Property
• Provision of Facilities to Schools and School Premises
• Offenses and Penalties
• Community Participation – School Boards and SBM
• Education Publication and Textbooks
• Professional Councils
• Preparation and Implementation of Plans

4. Education Standard and Quality Assurance

• Quality Assurance System – Internal and External
• Examination and SBA
• Quality Assessment of Institutions Educational Office and Personnel.
• Performance Appraisal

5. Teachers and Other Education Personnel

• Organization to set standards
• Recruitment/ Deployment/ Professional Development/ Code of Ethics
• Supervision, Remuneration, Welfare

6. Financing Education and Provision of Resources

• Providers and Partners
• Mobilization of Resources – Disbursement and Allocations
• Aid – Foreign and Local
• Loans and Grants
• System of Auditing

7. Provision as to Orders and Schemes – Regulations

• Power of Minister
• Advisory Boards (National and Provincial)

The Committee may invite the individuals or organizations who have made their submissions in writing on the aforementioned areas, if deemed necessary.

The written submissions can be mailed, e-mailed or sent by fax before 20 February 2008 to the following addresses. Please write ‘Proposals for a new Education Act’ on the top left hand corner of the envelope of the mailed document.

Email : senec@slt.lk
Fax : 2816178
Web site : http//www.nec.gov.lk

O. W. Ranjith Premasiri
Secretary
National Committee for drafter the New Education Act,
126, Nawala Road,

Nugegoda.

NUS or National University of Singapore is a premier university in Asia with school leavers form all over the world competing for places.  NUS admit school leavers from India, Malaysia, Pakistan and other countries on the strength of each local  public examination but  Sri Lankan  students, even those with the 3As that we felicitate here, have to submit scores for SAT examination conducted by Education Testing Services in USA..

In South Asia, Sri Lanka join the ranks of Bangladesh and Burma as countries whose school leaver exams are not recognized by  NUS. American high school diplomas are not recognized by NUS either but the high school diploma in America is not meant to be a  universal university entrance qualification.

In Sri Lanka students are coached from primary school to take on increasingly academic examinations the culmination of which is the GCE (A/L). If an Asian institution such as NUS can not recognize that exam, it is a sign that the Sri Lanka GCE (A/L) has some serious problems.

The Education Forum would like to do a comparative assessment using the recognition of the Sri Lanka GCE (A/L) by other international ranked universities. If any of you who applied for a foreign university had the experience of having to do additional examinations (other than for English) please let this forum know so that we get a better idea of the problem before we go full steam.