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Friday Dec 13, 2024
Friday, 6 December 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said swift actions should be taken to develop the education sector, which was a priority in his election manifesto.
The President made these observations during a discussion with Education and Higher Education Ministers and officials held at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday.
There is a need to move fast towards an education system capable of providing the necessary skills to the younger generation in a technology-driven global economy. The President stressed the need to break away from the exam-oriented educational system, and create an environment to relieve the unbearable burden placed on children.
President Rajapaksa emphasized the necessity of focusing on the need of the country in line with international curricula, and how the syllabuses have been formulated. He also highlighted the importance of decisions being taken by educators instead of politicians.
The President also said that immediate steps should be taken to train unemployed graduates to fill existing vacancies.
Students who have passed A/L examination in 2018 and are eligible to enter universities should be enrolled as soon as possible. President Rajapaksa said that from 2019 onwards, students should be admitted to universities within a short duration after releasing results.
Every student who had passed the GCE A/L examination should be given the opportunity to gain university admission. Attention was also focused on introducing diploma courses at universities, in order to create the workforce required by the country in the short run.
The President also said that actions should be taken to establish teacher training institutes and hotel schools targeting the job market, and also highlighted the importance of developing and absorbing the Batticaloa Campus to the university network of the country.
The time has come to grant the opportunity to universities to prepare courses after looking into the country’s requirements.
It was discussed to establish universities covering Galle, Matara, and Hambantota, as well as every district. President also pointed out that the possibilities should be explored to reconstruct and utilize unused buildings located in large lands for this purpose.
The country should have more students qualified in science and mathematics streams. President said that it is vital to absorb the students who study arts subjects into the economic process, by giving them the opportunity to pursue information and communication technology.
Steps must be taken to address the issue of teacher shortages, and to ensure that there are no unfilled vacancies at schools. It was also discussed that a national policy should be formulated within a year for the education sector.
The special discussion held today marks a “turning point in education”, Minister of Education Dullas Alahapperuma said.
Information and Communication Technology, Higher Education, Technology and Innovation Minister Bandula Gunawardana, State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, Ministry Secretaries and several officials were also present.
