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A vision makinga difference ineducation...
Ministry of EducationSri Lanka
AchievingExcellencewithEquity...
AchievingExcellencewithEquity...
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Achieving Excellence with Equity...
A vision making a difference in education
Ministry of EducationSri Lanka
March 2001
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Contents Page No.
Introduction 2
A Historical Overview of the Education System 4
The Dawn of a New Era... 6
The Education System 8
Education Reform Proposals 12
Education For All 18
New Initiatives 21
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Our Mission...To achieve excellence, provide equity andequality
through a modernized system ofeducation which will create a
generation of
humane citizens equipped to face thechallenges of the 21st
century.
1
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Sri Lanka : Pearl in the Indian Ocean
Sri Lanka is an island in the IndianOcean, situated to the
southof the Indian subcontinent witha land area of 65,000 sq.
kilometers,lying a few degrees north of the equator.It has a
tropical climate and the monsoonalwinds bring rain to the south
west from Mayto September and to the north east fromOctober to
February. Inter-monsoonal rainsprevail during the other months.
Adequaterainfall in the south west and the centralhighlands helps
the growth of lush greenvegetation. The centre of the island
ismountainous with rivers flowing in alldirections to the
surrounding coastal plains.With natures gifts of rain and fertile
soil, theprincipal means of livelihood of the peoplefrom the dawn
of history had beenagriculture.
Although located close to the sub-continent,Sri Lanka is a
separate island strategicallysituated on the main sea routes
between theEast and the West. This has had atremendous influence on
its history.
The proximity to the Indian sub-continentcreated close
affinities between Sri Lankaand India. The original settlers of the
islandmigrated from India and the principalreligions in the
country, Buddhism andHinduism were introduced from that country.The
ancient culture, language, art andarchitecture, technology and
social customswere of Indian origin. Political developmentsin
India, too, had their repercussions on thisisland. The island was
subjected to frequentinvasion from South India, whenever
strongkingdoms were established there. Westernpowers too, wanted to
have a strong holdon this island, in order to consolidate
theirpower in India. Finally, when India gainedindependence, this
island too, got itsindependence without any bloodshed.
However, being a separate island helped SriLanka to develop a
culture of its own,with a distinct identity. Buddhism, which
originated in India, has almost disappearedfrom that country,
but remains the principalreligion in Sri Lanka. Similarly,
thelanguage, social customs and other culturalaspects have
developed with their owndistinguishing characteristics.
The strategic location on the main sea-routes, resulted in
travellers visiting thiscountry in the past. The Greek and
Arabmerchant sailors found it a convenient portof call on their
voyages to the East. Thesevisitors described the island by such
namesas , Taprobane, Serendib, Ceilao and finallyCeylon. The
present name Sri Lanka isbeing used with the promulgation of
theRepublican constitution in 1972. Theancient travellers have left
graphic accountsof the island and its people in their
historicalrecords. The European explorers whocame in the wake of
the Renaissance, alongthe ancient sea routes in search of
spices,conquered this island in the 16th century andruled for four
and a half centuries.
Sri Lanka gained independence from theBritish who ruled the
country for 150 years,in 1948. After independence the countrywas
governed by a democratically electedWestminster model type of
Government.In 1972 it became a Republic and in1978 anExecutive
Presidency model was adopted.At the centre, there is the
legislature, theParliament and the Executive President, butthe
power of government is substantiallydevolved to the elected
Provincial Councils.There are eight Provincial Councils
function-ing under the existing set up. The grass-root level local
government system assurespeoples participation in managing their
localaffairs.
1 Introduction
2
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Sinhala SL Tamil Indian Origin Muslims Other
multi-cultural milieu. Ethnically, the Sinha-lese comprise 74%
of the population, the SriLankan Tamils 12.6%, the Tamils of
recentIndian origin 5.3%, the Muslims 7.1% andothers 1%.
Religion-wise, there are 69%Buddhists, 15% Hindus, 7% Muslims and
8%Christians of various denominations. Eachcultural entity
maintains its own customsand practices with a distinct identity,
but allcontribute to form a Sri Lankan identity ascitizens of one
country.
The per capita income in the year 2000 wasUS$864. However, the
quality of life asshown by the Human Development Index(HDI)
compiled by the United Nations showsthat Sri Lanka enjoys a high
quality of life incomparison to countries having a similar ora
higher level of per capita income. Someof the components taken into
account in thecompilation of the HDI, such as literacy at91.8%,
life expectancy of 72 years and infantmortality at 16.9 per
thousand are impres-sive achievements in social development.These
are the results of the social welfaremeasures persued by successive
govern-ments after independence, to which freeeducation has made a
remarkable contribu-tion.
On gender issues the country has followedan enlightened policy.
The right to voteirrespective of any restrictions granted
withuniversal suffrage in 1931 and the provisionof educational
facilities for women withoutdiscrimination have established
genderequity in Sri Lankan society. Womenoutnumber men in enrolment
in secondaryeducation and in professions such asteaching.
Participation of women in otherprofessions is increasing.
People and Society
The population of Sri Lanka in the year2000 is estimated to be
18.5 million and isincreasing moderately at 1.2 percent perannum.
The country has almost reachedthe stage of demographic transition,
and it isestimated that by the year 2020 thepopulation will
stabilise at 22 million. Thedecline in the rate of population
growth hasled to a reduction in the young dependencyratio, which is
a favourable development forthe education sector as the
decreasingnumbers will enable the authorities to divertmore
resources for quality improvement.However, with the increase in
lifeexpectancy of the population, the elderlydependent ratio will
increase in the future.
The population of Sri Lanka consists of a
mix of many ethnic groups whose ancestorsmigrated and settled
down in this countryover the centuries. As a result the
presentpopulation is a mosaic of different ethnicgroups and
religious denominations, withing
3
Uva Province
Central Province
fi Northern Province
fi Western Province
fi Southern Province
fi North Central Province
fi Eastern Province
fi Sabaragamuwa Province
North-Western Province
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The Ancient Tradition of Learning
The beginnings of civilization in Sri Lankaare shrouded in myth
and legend, but thereis clear evidence of a flourishing
civilizationover 2000 years ago in the dry zone areawith the
capital city of Anurdhapura as thecentre. The remains of ancient
religiousedifices, the works of art and sculpture, thegreat
reservoirs and the canal system, beartestimony to the existence of
a highlydeveloped civilization.
In ancient times, following on the lines ofeastern traditions,
learning was considereda valued treasure. Men of learning
werehighly respected and royal patronage wasextended to great
teachers, poets and menof letters.
In a society where printing was not known,transmission of
knowledge was handeddown the generations through word ofmouth the
oral tradition. Religiousknowledge and philosophy wereencapsulated
into short stanzas which werememorized by the pupils, who were
trainedto expand the kernel into detailedexhortations when
preaching to the people.
Later the texts were committed to writing inOla leaf manuscripts
and these werecollected in the libraries of temples. Therewere
great seats of learning comparable topresent day universities, run
by the clergywhere religion, philosophy, literature weretaught.
The pirivenas or monastic colleges primarilyintended for the
training of clergy also hadlay students. There were a number of
suchmonasteries in the capital city where largenumbers of priests
learned Buddhism,languages and allied academic disciplines.The
literary works produced in the latterpart of the Anuradhapura
period in Sinhalaand written in ola leaf manuscripts show ahigh
quality of literary excellence.
Unfortunately, the knowledge in technologyhas not been committed
to writing and is
lost to the future generations. However, theancient religious
edifices and the irrigationsystem with large reservoirs and canals
istestimony to the high level of engineeringknowledge that the
ancients possessed.Foreign invasions and natural disasters ledto
the drift to the south west, abandoningthe centres of ancient
civilization.
Information about Hindu educationaltraditions is meagre. There
would havebeen temple schools based on easterntradition in the
Tamil settlements in thenorth. These would have been
modernisedduring the time of the Portuguese rule whowere keen on
spreading RomanCatholicism in areas that came under theirrule.
The Muslim settlements came up muchlater as Arabs came as
traders after the 15th
century. In these settlements there werelearning centres
attached to mosqueswhere recitation of the Quran waspractised.
2 A Historical Overviewof the Education System
4
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Advent of Western Influence
The Portuguese conquered the maritimeprovinces of Ceylon in 1505
and remainedfor 150 years. Thereafter, the Dutchsucceeded to these
territories and afteranother 150 years the British capturedthese
territories. Two decades later theycaptured the central hill
country from thelast King of Kandy and ruled the entirecountry
until 1948.
Under the Portuguese, education was in thehands of the
missionaries who establishedschools to propagate Roman
Catholicreligion. Different orders of the Church, theFranciscans,
Jesuits, the Dominicans andthe Augustinians arrived in the island
andzealously organized parish schools wherereading, writing and
scriptures were taught.The medium of instruction in these
schoolswas the mother tongue. Elementaryeducation was provided to
all the children inthe Parish, while secondary schoolsenrolled only
the children of Portuguese civiland military officers or local
chieftans. Thesecondary school curriculum in addition toreading,
writing and scriptures, hadHumanities and Rhetoric.
The Dutch who succeeded the Portuguesediscovered that the
establishment of schoolsgreatly assisted in the work of
civilgovernment and trade. They followed arigorous policy to expand
education and thenumber of schools and the school goingpopulation
increased. As they feared thatthe Catholics would support the
Portuguese,they followed a policy of suppressingCatholicism and
promoting the DutchReformed Church. However, they did notleave
education in the hands of the, clergyand the government exercised a
fair degreeof control over the running of schools. Theyappointed a
Scholarchal Commission tosupervise the schools in each
district.
The British who succeeded the Dutch laidthe foundation for a
mass education systemduring the 19th century. To begin with,
the
clergy were encouraged to establishschools with government
assistance. Later,influenced by the Humanitarian movementsin
England and also realizing the need toeducate the natives to man
the lower levelpositions in public service and the
emergingcommercial plantation sector, thegovernment started
supporting education.A dual system of schools, those run by
thedenominational bodies with governmentassistance of which some
were followingthe English medium and others run by thegovernment as
state schools in the mothertongue for the common people,
emerged.
The Department of Public Instruction wasestablished in 1869,
which was entrustedwith the task of managing the governmentschools
and regulating the assisted schoolsin order to ensure that
standards weremaintained. The government realisedincreasingly its
duty of providing a basiceducation which helped to combat crime.By
the dawn of the 20th century there was anational revival among the
Buddhists andthe Hindus which finally resulted in thegrowth of a
nationalist movementdemanding self-government. In the wake ofthis
revival, the Buddhist and Hinduorganizations also established their
schools.The government enacted legislation toenforce attendance of
children in schoolsand establish a code of conduct forteachers.
5
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The implementation of the recommenda-tions of the Donoughmore
Commission in1931, resulted in a system of semi-autono-mous
government in the country. The grantof universal suffrage and the
election of therepresentatives of the State Council bypopular vote
led to the empowerment of thepeople. Several Executive
Committeeswere set up in charge of various subjects ofgovernment
and the elected chairman ofeach Executive Committee became
theMinister in charge of the subjects comingunder it.
The Executive Committee on Educationwas an active body under the
leadership ofDr. C W W Kannangara a vibrant minister,who had a
vision for the future of the youthof the country. A lot was
achieved duringthe stewardship of this minister who heldoffice from
1931 to 1947.
qThe Education Ordinance No. 31 of 1939enacted after long
deliberations stillremains the basic law in education in
thecountry
qA Special Committee (1940-43) studiedthe system of education
and madecertain recommendations which had farreaching results.
lOne important recommendation wasthe grant of free English
mediumeducation, a privilege hitherto enjoyedonly by the elite
moneyed classes.English education at that time was thepassport to
obtain a higher position ingovernment or the private sector.
lThe establishment of English mediumschools designated as
Central Schoolsimparting instruction in English was aboon to
intelligent rural youth. Fifty four(54) such schools were
establishedinitially based on the existingelectorates.
qWhile providing for English medium at thesecondary level the
need for teaching themother tongue was recognized and itwas
promoted at the primary level.
qThe denominational schools which optedto enter the free
education scheme wereaided by the government both financiallyand
the teachers being paid directly.
qA wide spread scheme of welfaremeasures was introduced to
encouragepupils to attend school. The provision ofancillary
services such as a mid-day mealand the school health
servicesencouraged children to attend school.The scholarship scheme
through whichfinancial assistance including freeboarding facilities
were provided topromising students on a means test,helped many a
student from poor homesgain access to higher education andthereby
upward social mobility.
qThe curriculum changes aimed at Head,heart and hands
concentrated on thedevelopment of academic knowledge,aesthetic
sensibilities and practical skills.The teaching of subjects such
asAgriculture, Home Science, RuralScience, Music and Dancing
received animpetus under the curricular reforms.
The impressive results that the country hasachieved in literacy
and educationalprovision during the mid-twentieth centuryare mainly
due to the impact of thesechanges. These also formed the basis
andguide to action for policy makers in the post-independent
era.
3 a New EraThe Dawn of a New Era
An early central school Tholangamuwa Central College
6
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The Period After Independence
Sri Lanka gainedindependence in 1948and remained as a dominion
in theCommonwealth of Nations until 1972, inwhich year the country
was declared aDemocratic Republic under the newconstitution. The
period after independenceis marked by further growth in
educationestablishing a network of schools spreadthroughout the
country.
As a policy the mother tongue wasintroduced as the medium of
instruction tothe secondary level as well as highereducation.
Although English was taught asa second language, deterioration
instandards show that the neglect of Englishhad adverse results as
well.
Another development that took place in the1960s was the take
over of the Assistedschools, thereby creating a national systemof
education. It made possible therationalization of the school system
to acertain extent and improve the facilities informer vernacular
schools with state
assistance. However, the state monopolyhad its shortcomings.
Student welfare services too expandedduring this period. In
addition to the schoolmidday meal, text books and a set ofuniforms
are supplied free to students whiletransport is also
subsidised.
Another area that received the attention ofthe education
authorities during this timewas curriculum development.
TheCurriculum Development Centre (CDC) wasinaugurated in the 1960s
mainly to developcurricula in science and mathematics.Later, it
took over the development ofcurricula in other subjects as
well.
In 1985, the National Institute of Education(NIE) was
inaugurated at a new site close toColombo, and it has been
responsible fordeveloping curricula for the schools as wellas
Teacher Training Institutes and forcarrying out research in related
areas.
7
EDUCATION SYSTEM IN SRI LANKA
Universities Professional Colleges Open University
Technical Colleges &similar institutions
Vocational TechnicalCoursesCollegiate
(Grade12-13)
Senior Secondary(Grade 10-11)
JuniorSecondary(Grade 6-9)
Primary(Grade 1-5)
ECCD
Non formaleducation
programmes
15+
13+
10+
5 +
0
17+
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Management of Education
The responsibility for education inSri Lanka is shared by the
centralgovernment and the provincial councils.In terms of the
constitutional amendmentsin 1987 for the devolution of power to
theprovinces, in education the central govern-ment is responsible
for:
a Laying down National Policy oneducation
a Monitoring the maintenance ofstandards in educational
institutions.
a Formulating the National curriculumand training the provincial
trainersthrough the NIE.
a Management of specified schoolsdesignated as National
Schools.
a Teacher Educationa Public Examinations
The Ministry of Education (MoE) is thecentral government agency
responsible forthese functions. Until recently the Ministryof
Education and Higher Educationfunctioned as one entity and
HigherEducation including the Universities cameunder the purview of
one Ministry. But nowthe two ministries have been separated andthe
Ministry of Higher Education isresponsible for Tertiary level and
UniversityEducation, along with development ofInformation
Technology (IT) in the country.
The Minister of Education is vested with theexecutive authority
for implementation ofpolicy on education and is responsible to
thePresident and the Cabinet of Ministers.
The Secretary to the ministry is the ChiefExecutive Officer and
is accountable tothe Minister and the President for
theimplementation of policy. There areAdditional Secretaries,
Director-Generalsand Directors as Heads of Departmentsresponsible
for the keydivisions in the Ministry.
There are also other institutions functioningunder the Ministry
but responsible forspecific functions. These are:
q The Department of Examinationsresponsible for the conduct of
publicexaminations.
q The Department of Educational Publications responsible for the
publication anddistribution of text books.
q The National Institute of Education (NIE)responsible for the
development ofNational curricula, training of teachersand
research.
q The National Library Services Boardcharged with the
responsibility of librarydevelopment in the country.
There are eight Provincial Councils co-terminous with the
provinces except theNorth Eastern Provincial Council which isformed
by temporarily merging the North-ern province and the Eastern
province.
There is a provincial Ministry of Education ineach province
under a Provincial Ministerassisted by a Provincial Secretary of
Educa-tion. The schools are managed by theprovincial Departments of
Education undera Provincial Director of Education.
4 The Education System andthe Reform ProposalsThe Education
System andthe Reform Proposals
8
Minister
Deputy Minister
Secretary
Deputy Minister
Addl.Secretary
Education Services
Addl. Secretary
Administration & Finance
Addl. Secretary
Education Development
Addl. SecretaryPolicy Planning & Monitoring
Addl. Secretary
Service Establishment
Director General
Quality Assurance & Evaluation
Director General
Education Reforms
Minister
Deputy Minister
Secretary
Deputy Minister
Addl.Secretary
Education Services
Addl. Secretary
Administration & Finance
Addl. Secretary
Education Development
Addl. SecretaryPolicy Planning & Monitoring
Addl. Secretary
Service Establishment
Director General
Quality Assurance & Evaluation
Director General
Education Reforms
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For purposes of administration, the prov-inces are divided into
a number of Educa-tional Zones headed by a Zonal Director
ofEducation. The administrative functions andsupervision of schools
are mainly handledby the Zonal Education Office. Each Zonehas
approximately 100 to 150 schools. TheZones are further sub-divided
into Divisionsand the Divisional Officer in charge of adivision
functions as a field officer to assistthe Zonal Director.
The schools are classified according to theterminal grade of the
school. Schools whichterminate at grade 5 are described asprimary
schools and those that terminate atgrade 9 as junior schools. By
type boththese categories fall into Type Three.Those schools that
terminate at grade 11are categorised as Type Two. Schoolswhich have
classes upto General Certificateof Education (Advanced Level) are
TypeOne schools, and this category is sub-divided into two sub
groups, IC asthose having GCE A/L Arts andCommerce Classes and 1AB
asthose with GCE A/L Science classes.
Most schools are co-educational while thereare a few schools
which are single sexschools.The total span of schooling spreads
over aperiod of 13 years as follows:
Primary 5 years : grades 1-5Junior Secondary 4 years: grades
6-9G.C.E. (O/L) 2 years : grade 10-11G.C.E (A/L) 2 years : grade
12-13
The compulsory span of schooling is five tofourteen years of a
child.
Primary 5 years : grades 1-5
Junior Secondary 4 years: grades 6-9
G.C.E. (O/L) 2 years : grade 10-11
G.C.E (A/L) 2 years : grade 12-13
Primary 5 years : grades 1-5
Junior Secondary 4 years: grades 6-9
G.C.E. (O/L) 2 years : grade 10-11
G.C.E (A/L) 2 years : grade 12-13
Deputy DirectorsDeputy DirectorsDeputy Directors
Deputy DirectorsDeputy
DirectorsDeputy
Directors
Deputy
DirectorsDeputy
Directors
Provincial Ministry of
EducationProvincial Ministry of
Education
Provincial
DirectorProvincial
Director
Provincial Planning & Monitoring CommitteeProvincial
Planning & Monitoring Committee
Policy
Planning &
Monitoring
Policy
Planning &
Monitoring
Human
Resource
Department
Human
Resource
Department
EstablishmentsEstablishments
Junior Schools
DivisionJunior Schools
Division In-service
TrainingIn-service
Training Educational
ServiceEducational
Service
Additional
Provincial Director
Administration
Additional
Provincial Director
Administration
Additional Provincial
Director Education
Development Management
Additional Provincial
Director Education
Development Management
DDE Education
Services &
Infrastructure
DDE Education
Services &
Infrastructure
Finance Division Finance Division
Investigation Investigation
General
AdministrationGeneral
Administration
Pre SchoolPre School
PirivenaPirivena
Senior Schools
Division Senior Schools
Division
Non-formal
EducationNon-formal
Education
CO-Curricular
Activities CO-Curricular
Activities
Special Emphasis aspects
Tamil Schools Muslim SchoolsPlantation Schools
Special Emphasis aspects
Tamil Schools Muslim SchoolsPlantation Schools
Guidance &
CounsellingGuidance &
Counselling
Quality Assurance &
EvaluationQuality Assurance &
Evaluation InfrastructureInfrastructure
Education Development CommitteeEducation Development
Committee
Deputy DirectorsDeputy DirectorsDeputy Directors
Deputy DirectorsDeputy
DirectorsDeputy
Directors
Deputy
DirectorsDeputy
Directors
Provincial Ministry of
EducationProvincial Ministry of
Education
Provincial
DirectorProvincial
Director
Provincial Planning & Monitoring CommitteeProvincial
Planning & Monitoring Committee
Policy
Planning &
Monitoring
Policy
Planning &
Monitoring
Human
Resource
Department
Human
Resource
Department
EstablishmentsEstablishments
Junior Schools
DivisionJunior Schools
Division In-service
TrainingIn-service
Training Educational
ServiceEducational
Service
Additional
Provincial Director
Administration
Additional
Provincial Director
Administration
Additional Provincial
Director Education
Development Management
Additional Provincial
Director Education
Development Management
DDE Education
Services &
Infrastructure
DDE Education
Services &
Infrastructure
Finance Division Finance Division
Investigation Investigation
General
AdministrationGeneral
Administration
Pre SchoolPre School
PirivenaPirivena
Senior Schools
Division Senior Schools
Division
Non-formal
EducationNon-formal
Education
CO-Curricular
Activities CO-Curricular
Activities
Special Emphasis aspects
Tamil Schools Muslim SchoolsPlantation Schools
Special Emphasis aspects
Tamil Schools Muslim SchoolsPlantation Schools
Guidance &
CounsellingGuidance &
Counselling
Quality Assurance &
EvaluationQuality Assurance &
Evaluation InfrastructureInfrastructure
Education Development CommitteeEducation Development
Committee
9
Students
362,495
236,088
92,490
162,998
112,709
173,472
85,097
129,513
298,341
Western
Central
Southern
Northern
Eastern
North Western
North Central
Uva
Sabaragamuwa
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Investment in Education
4.4 4.1 2.7 2.9 3.1
14.912.7
68.7
10.9
0
5
10
15
20
1960 1970 1980 1990 1999
as apercentage ofGNP
as apercentage ofbudget
Out of a total cohort of students in the agegroup eligible for
admission to grade 1 classapproximately 97% are enrolled. Of
thisgroup 95% complete the primary stage ofeducation and 70%
proceed to the GCE(O/L) classes while 36% qualify for GCE(A/L)
classes.
Teachers Service
The total number of teachers in the educa-tion system serving
under the Ministry ofEducation and Provincial Ministries of
Edu-cation amounts to 191,322. There was amultiplicity of grades
and salary scales forthese teachers but with the setting up of
theSri Lanka Teacher Service in 1995, thenumber of grades has been
brought downto five. Now, the teachers have beenprovided with
opportunities to go up in theteachers service from grade to
gradedepending on their performance and experi-ence, with enhanced
salaries.
Teacher training is carried out at threelevels:qTeachers
Colleges where untrainedteachers in service receive a
two-yeartraining.qNational Colleges of Education (NCOE)where
pre-service training is given to newentrants who are
non-graduates.qUniversity Faculties of Education and theNIE where
graduates are given apedagogical training through post-graduate
diploma or Bachelor ofEducation courses.
Besides, regular in-service educationprogrammes are conducted to
upgrade theskills of teachers on a continuing basis, bythe NIE and
the Teacher centres in theEducational Zones.
Educational Finance
With the expansion of the educational facili-ties and the
establishment of a nationalsystem of education the government
almostentirely took over the burden of financingthe cost of
education. Accordingly, in thedecade of the 1960s the State set
apartabout 5% of the GDP and 15% of the annualbudget, on
education.
During the next two decades owing tofinancial problems such as
the hike in oilprices and the need to invest locally moreon
infrastructure development the share.ofeducation came down.
However, duringthe latter half of the last decade theinvestment in
education has graduallyincreased.
Why Education Reforms
There is no doubt that Sri Lanka hascreditable achievements in
various aspectsof education when compared with othercountries in
the region. The statistics onschool enrolement, participation,
literacyand gender equity etc speak forthemselves.
At the same time, the country is faced withproblems of
unemployment, youth unrest,violence, ethnic conflict and poverty.
It istrue that education is not a panacea for allthese ills. Yet,
has education played its rolein moulding a generation of youth with
thenecessary knowledge, skills and attitudesand values ready to
successfully face thechallenges emerging in the newmillennium.?
10
26.5
59.7
1.8 7.44.6
Graduates Trained Certificated Uncertificated Other
-
Some of the short-comings that have beenidentified are :a Sri
Lanka has not been able to achieve
Universal Primary Education as agreedat the World Conference on
Educationfor All held at Jomtien in 1990.
a Around 10% of the population is illiterateand 14% of the
children of the compul-sory span of schooling ie. 5-14 years,are
out of school.
a Learning achievement among pupils islow. At grade five level
only a fifth of thechildren achieve mastery levels inmother tongue
and life skills; it is evenless in mathematics.
a At GCE (O/L), the failure rate in allsubjects is one in every
ten, and at GCE(A/L) one in every eleven failed all
foursubjects.
a The education system is overwhelminglyacademically oriented
and targetted atpreparing students to passingexaminations. Students
hardly uselibraries and take part in extra-curricularactivities.
Cramming notes prepared byteachers has become the principal modeof
study.
a While attendance in school is poor, thereis a flourishing
private tuition industry,which has become a parallel system
ofpreparation for examinations, whichfleece the parents.
a Total personality developmentcharacterized by creativity,
initiative,discipline, team spirit, respect andtolerance for other
people and othercultures is lacking.
a The rate of unemployment increaseswith the acquisition of
schoolexamination certificates such as the GCE(O/L) and the GCE
(A/L). The privatesector which will provide theemployment
opportunities in the future,find that the output from the
schoolsystem is not equipped with the skillsthat they require.
Therefore, reform and restructuring theeducation system was
identified as anurgent priority. It is an integral part of the
development process of the country. Itshould clearly be a means
of empoweringpeople, providing them with access tovaluable
resources of knowledge andinformation, development of skills
andattitudes for living in a democratic society.
Process of Policy Formulation
Educational reforms have been formulatedon the recommendations
of the NationalEducation Commission (NEC). TheCommission over a
period of four years hasstudied the memoranda received
fromprofessional associations, trade unions,university community,
teachersassociations, senior students, politicalparties and the
general public. It alsohad public hearings on issues that
wererelevant in all parts of the country. The NECsubmitted its
proposals to PresidentChandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge in1995.
The President appointed Three TaskForces to study the NEC
recommendationson General Education, University Education,Technical
& Vocational Education and toprepare action plans for
implementation ofthe proposals in 1997. The Task Forces inturn
appointed a number of technical com-mittees comprising experts in
these fields tostudy and further elaborate on the
policyrecommendations. The final proposalswere prepared after
consideration of allthese recommendations and the implemen-tation
of a comprehensive programme onreforming the primary, secondary
andtertiary education sectors began in 1999.
General Education (Primary and Second-
11
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ary Education)
The education reforms wereproposed with two primary goals in
mind.They were intended to :1. Provide a system of education that
wouldequip students with the necessaryknowledge, skills and
attitudes, toempower them and make thememployable and productive
citizens of SriLanka.
2. Create a generation of young peoplewith correct values,
compassion and caretowards fellow citizens and who will beable to
live with tolerance towards oneanother.
The reform proposals were formulatedbased on two main policy
initiatives. Theseare;
q Improvement in the quality of educationq Providing education
for all
Improvement in the quality of Education
Reforms in general education encompassthe whole span of general
education fromearly childhood to collegiate level.
Early Childhood Care and Development(ECCD)
The early childhood years refer to the firstfive years of a life
of a child. This period hasreceived inadequate attention especially
asparents are also unaware of the role theyneed to play in bringing
up children.
If a child can be with the family during thisperiod, the parents
will provide all the careand protection. However, in present
daycircumstances with mothers going to work,some form of
institutional care is necessaryfor such children.It is proposed
that ;
5 EducationReform Proposals
q Awareness programmes be carried out toprovide parents with the
knowledge tobring-up children in a healthy andstimulating
environment.
q Provide Day Care Centres for children ofworking mothers.
q Set up pre-schools for children betweenthe ages of 3-5 years
where opportunitieswould be provided for the development ofthe
childs personality through organizedplay and social interaction,The
CentralGovernment will lay down policy on earlychildhood care and
development and theprovincial councils will be responsible forthe
implementation of policy. They willprepare guide lines for
maintenance ofstandards, facilities to be provided andsupervision
of Day Care Centres & Pre-schools.
q Local government authorities, employers,non-governmental
organizations andindividuals will establish and maintainsuch
institutions. A Child Study Centre willbe set up in one of the
universities to carryout research on Child Development.
An action plan for implementation of ECCDinterventions has been
prepared and a ChildStudy Centre has been established at teOpen
University.
12
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Primary Stage of Education
The first five years of schooling comprisingthe primary stage of
education is crucial tolay a firm foundation for the
subsequentyears of learning. These five years aredivided into three
key stages.
q In key stage One (Grades1 and 2) themain learning mode will be
guided playwith secondary emphasis on activelearning and a minimum
of desk work..
q In key stage Two (Grades 3 and 4) equalimportance will be
given to all threemodes of learning , activity, desk workand
play.
qIn key stage Three (Grade 5) the stresswill be on desk work, as
pupils areprepared for the early years of secondaryeducation
supplemented by activelearning and play.
The new integrated Primary Curriculum willhave four main subject
areas;
n First languagen Mathematicsn Environmental related activitiesn
Religion
Activity based oral English will beintroduced for communication
from KeyStage One.
At every stage, education will be childcentered; there will be
less emphasis onstructure and examinations, but more ondeveloping
the childs mind, skills andabilities.
Implementation of PrimaryEducation Reforms
The Reforms programme was introduced inone district in 1998 in
Grade one andextended to other districts in 1999. Theprimary cycle
up to Grade 5 will becompleted by 2003. By 2001 reforms havebeen
introduced upto grade 3 in all theschools in the Island.
Curriculum material, Teacher guides havebeen distributed.
All teachers taking Grades one, two & threehave been trained
to teach the newcurriculum.
Attractively printed text books in four coloursto match the
curriculum with the workbooks were distributed to schools.
Class rooms were re-furbished and facilitiesprovided for the
children to engage inactivity based learning. A sum of Rs.
500Million is spent annually to re-furbish 10,000class
rooms.Quality inputs provided to enhance learning.Closer rapport
established between theparents and the community.
13
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Expenditure On Quality inputs by Province - 2000
0.00
20.00
40.00
60.00
80.00
Province
Ex
pe
nd
itu
re (
Rs
. M
)
Western
Central
Southern
North East
North Western
North Central
Uva
Sabaragamuwa
A study carried out on the pilot programmein Grade one has shown
that;
qThe achievement levels of pupils inLanguage & Maths have
improved.
qTeachers are motivated to carry out theextra load of work
involved inimplementing the new curriculum. Theyhave taken less
leave !
qHeads of schools are keen in getting thefacilites required to
implement the newcurriculum.
qThe parents have contributed in whatever way they can to
implement thereforms.
The World Bank, Department forInternational Development/UK,
GTZGermany, JICA Japan and UNICEF havecontributed to the
implementation ofPrimary Education Reforms.
Junior Stage of Education
The junior stage includes Grades 6-9. Atthis stage, the child
will begin to learnthrough a subject based curriculum that
willreplace the integrated curriculum.
qCurriculum to include 10 subjects. Firstlanguage, English,
Mathematics, Scienceand Technology, Social Studies,
Lifecompetencies, Religion, Aesthetics, Healthand Physical
Education, Practical & Tech-nical skills.
qPractical work and work on small projectswill form an important
component in thisstrategy.
qActivity rooms will be established inJunior schools for
learning by doing usingsimple tools and techniques.
qThe programme to strengthen Englishcapability in the primary
section will becontinued in the Junior section withincreasing
emphasis.
qLinks to be developed between the schoolsystem and the
vocational training systemto move upwards in the generaleducation
system or laterally intovocational education.
Learning by doing
Progress in Junior Stage Reforms(Grade 6-11)
Reforms have been implemented in GradesSix to Nine
qThe revised curriculum with emphasis onScience and Technology,
practical workand Life Competencies has beenintroduced.
qTeachers have been trained to implementthe new curriculum.
qMethodology of teaching promotesdiscovery learning, project
work andgroup work.
qComputers have been provided to 600schools to introduce new
technology tothe classroom from grade 6 onwards.
qThe new text books printed in four coloursare attractive and
can be reused for aperiod of three years.
14
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Senior Stage of Education
In the prevalent scheme, students appearfor a single examination
that covers threeyears of work, and this is unsound.Further, the
teaching methodology has beenteacher centred.
q The GCE Ordinary Level course will beof two years duration
with Grades 10and 11. The syllabus will include sub-jects under two
categories - core sub-jects and optional subjects. Coresubjects
will provide a firm and broadeducational base and the
optionalsubjects will provide more openings topupils who intend to
specialise in certainareas of study.
q Required in-service training to be pro-vided to enable
teachers to handle thenew syllabuses and student centredteaching.
The curricula of TeacherTraining institutes to be adapted
accord-ingly.
q To support the emphasis on practicalwork and on inculcating
the reading habitin pupils, facilities such as libraries andscience
laboratories will be provided.
q Pupils to be encouraged to participate inas many extra
curricular activities aspossible.
q Career guidance staff adequately trainedwill be attached to
every school or toschool families.
The revision of curricula and the training ofteachers have been
completed. The firstbatch of students under the revised schemewill
sit the GCE (O/L) examination at theend of 2001.
GCE Advanced Level
The GCE Advanced Level extends over twoyears and constitutes the
final stage of thesecondary education process. It is an
attainment examination and a selectionexamination for University
entrance.
q The number of subjects to be offered atGCE Advanced Level to
be reduced tothree from the present four from year2000.
q Candidates seeking University admissionwill be required to
select subject combinations specified by particular faculties.Those
seeking admission will have toappear for a Common General Test.They
must qualify by passing the Com-mon General Test as well as
obtaining aminimum of 135 marks.
q School based assessment of practicals,assignments and project
work will beintroduced. Zonal Monitoring Panelsappropriately
constituted will visitschools to ensure that practical work isbeing
carried out according to guidelineslaid by the relevant
authorities.
q The curriculum will be diversified toprovide for Technology
subjects whichwill introduce the students to the world ofwork and
help them acquire skills nec-essary for employment opportunities
thatare available.
q General English has been introduced asa compulsory subject for
all GCEAdvanced Level students for them to becompetent in English
required at a workplace.
School Based Assessment
Continuous evaluation will be introduced tothe class room to
improve learningachievement and provide remedial teachingprogrammes
for slow learners.
Quality Inputs
Activity based learning needs materials andfacilities in
classrooms for children to en-gage in learning by doing. Schools
have tobe provided with resources to procure theseneeds.
15
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q Every school will be given a grant for thepurchase of
equipment and materialsrequired for classroom teaching.
q New text books attractively printed infour colours will be
provided to pupils.The books will be of a high quality so thatthese
can be reused for a period of threeyears.
q Library facilities will be provided toschools
School Based Management
The School system is directed and con-trolled to a great extent
by the Ministry ofEducation and the Provincial
EducationDepartments. This needs to be changedand greater authority
given to schools tomanage their affairs guided by a
councilrepresentative of the parents and thecommunity.
q A substantial part of the management ofthe school will be
transferred to theschool itself and the Education Officialswill
function as facilitators. Principals willno longer be
administrators but will alsofunction as policy makers and
financialcontrollers.
q Schools will be managed with the adviceof school management
councils. Eachschool and school council will develop aschool policy
and programme taking intoaccount the community that it serves.
Education for Social Harmony
q Concepts on peace, social harmony,democratic values, conflict
resolutionand gender equity are integrated to thecurriculum.
q All text books have been reviewed toeliminate bias.
qFacilities are being provided for the teach-ing of second
national language Tamil toSinhala children and Sinhala to
Tamilchildren.
qEnglish learning is promoted as a linklanguage by introducing
oral English fromgrade one onwards.
qStudent camps are organized to promoteunderstanding among
children of differentethnic communities.
Teacher Education
Out of a teaching force of 191,000 around1/3rd were untrained.
All these untrainedteachers will be provided with a
rofessionaltraining within five years. For this purposethe
following activities will be implemented.
qTrain all untrained teachers using theinstitutional mode as
well as the distancemode.
qEstablish 14 National Colleges ofEducation to give pre-service
training to allteachers who are to be recruited in thefuture.
qAll graduates to be professionally trainedin one of the
University faculties of Educa-tion or the National Institute of
Education.
qEstablish a Teacher Educators Service toattract high quality
personnel to the staff ofNational Colleges of Education.
q Establish a National Authority on TeacherEducation (NATE) to
formulate NationalPolicies on Teacher Education and co-ordinate the
work of the Teacher Educa-tion Institutes and accredittheir
programmes.
q Design a programme on continuingeducation for teachers to
upgrade theirskills and knowledge periodically. TeacherCentres will
be established as deliverycentres for continuing education.
16
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The Progress in Teacher Education
Professional Development of the TeachingService is promoted
through pre-serviceand in-service teacher education.
qTraining of 45,000 untrained teachershasbeen done through
distance andinstitutional modes.
qFurther 8000 are being trained under thedistance mode and 4000
through institu-tional mode
q Balance 4000 untrained teaches will betrained by 2002.
qThereafter no more untrained teacherswill be recruited and
every new entrantwill have pre-service training at a
NationalCollege of Education (NCoE). 14 NCOEsare functioning for
this purpose.
qContinuing education be provided througha network of 84 Teacher
Centres to allteachers who are in service.
17
-
010
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Bang
lades
h
Bhut
anIn
dia
Mald
ives
Napa
l
Pakis
tan
Sri L
anka
Literacy Rates
Sri Lanka is committed to provideEducation for All and ensuring
equity inaccess to education. The policies adoptedby the successive
governments since thetime of independence is a vindication of
thispolicy.
Free education from the kindergarten to theuniversity was
accepted as national policyfor the last half century. The
constitution inits chapter on the directive principles of
statepolicy states as one of the objectives thecomplete eradication
of illiteracy andassurance to all persons the right touniversal and
equal access to education atall levels.
The chapter on the Rights of the Child(1989) which recognizes
the right toeducation as a basic human right has beenratified by
Sri Lanka in 1991.
The world declaration on Education for Alladopted at the World
Conference onEducation at Jomtien in 1990 has beenaccepted by Sri
Lanka
The Plan of Action for the children of Sri Lanka(1991),
formulated as a response to thesepolicy commitments has been
designed tofulfill these objectives, However, when theEducation
Reforms were drafted it wasfound that approximately 14% of the
childrenin the compulsory schooling age groupwere not attending
school and legislation oncompulsory education had not been
en-acted.
Proposals on Compulsory Education
The reforms recommended thatregulations enforcing parents to
send theirchildren in the compulsory span ofschooling ie. 5-14
years to school beenacted by Parliament.
In situations such as when a child is notadmitted to school due
to lack of a birthcertificate, heads of schools were autho-
rized to admit such children on an affidavitgiven by a
parent.
Early Child Care and Development (ECCD)activities be promoted to
encourage moreand more children to attend ECCD centresor train
mothers and care-givers on homebased care for children of this age
group.
Encourage Provincial Councils to providefacilities for ECCD and
develop regulatorymechanisms for ensuring standards inECCD centres
run by serviceorganizations, employees and privateindividuals.
Establish a Child Study Centre in one ofthe university Education
faculties topromote research on ECCD.
The Literacy Centres run by the Non-formal Education Division
(NFE) of theMoE be further improved and expanded tocover all
pockets where non-school goingchildren are concentrated as an
alternativepath to acquire literacy.
That the curricula of literacy centres beimproved to provide
basic education forchildren attending such centres anddevelop these
as Activity Schools whichwould be more child friendly than
theformal schools and function to meet theneeds of the out of
school childpopulation.
6 Education for All
18
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Provision of Equal Education Opportuni-ties
Although much has been achieved in pro-viding equity and access
to education,discrepancies do exist between prestigiousschools and
their counter parts in theremote rural districts.
A survey showed that out of 300administrative divisions 45 did
not have atleast one fully fledged secondary schoolteaching all
subject streams up to GCE (A/L). The children in these areas have
totravel long distances to gain admission to aschool with all the
facilities.
Accordingly the reforms envisage; The establishment of at least
one
fully fledged school with severalsecondary grades in
everyadministrative division.
Promotion of equal-opportunityprimary schools all over the
island.
Allocation of resources on a unit costbased formula so that
rural schoolswill get equal treatment if not
positive discrimination.
The other dimensions of the declaration onEducation for All
(Jomtien), namely,
Primary Education Learning Achievement Outcomes Training in
Essential Skills Education for better living
have been incorporated into the qualityimprovement proposals
described else-where in this document.
19
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Progress in the implementation of therecommendations
Compulsory Education
Compulsory Education regulationshave been enacted by
theParliament in 1997 to compelparents to send their children
toschool. According to these regula-tions school attendance
committeeshave been formed at village leveland monitoring
committees at zonalthis level. So far 8,400 attendancecommittees
and 260 monitoringcommittees have been formed.
A survey of non-school going children wasconducted in 1997 and
those identified havebeen either admitted to school or to
literacycentres.
Awareness programmes for parents andgeneral public have been
conducted withthe assistance of international organizationssuch as
UNICEF and InternationalProgrammes for Elimination of Child
Labour(IPEC) of ILO.
The NFE Division of MoE is conducting 760literacy centres at
present.
A pilot project for the Activity School hasbeen formulated and 8
such schools will beinaugurated this year to develop acurriculum
suitable for such a school. Thisis being funded by IPEC.
The German Government funded GTZ hasinaugurated another pilot
project in Vavuniain the North East province to provide
BasicEducation for children affected by theconflict.
Instructions have been issued to schools bya circular to admit
any child who does nothave a Birth Certificate on a sworndocument,
certifying the date of birth of achild made by a parent.
Training programmes have been organizedfor these teachers and
care-givers in ECCDcentres. Curricula and specifications
onstandards have been provided to them. Achild-study center has
been established atthe Open University. A National Policy anda
programme of action to develop ECCDwork has been prepared.
The Development of Schools by Divisions (DSD)
(DSD) is a programme designed to developat least one
comprehensive school with allstreams at GCE A/L in every division
inorder to provide equal opportunities to ruralchildren. 340
schools have been identifiedfor development under this programme
and134 schools have been developed on a fast-track basis which
would be completed bythe end of this year. Development wouldmean
the provision of infrastructurefacilities as well as the
improvement in thequality of education.
Equal Oppotunity Primary SchoolsAction has also been taken to
establishequal opportunity primary schools. Allprimary classrooms
upto grade 3 havebeen improved to make them physicallyattractive
and to enable children to take partin activity based learning. The
classroomdevelopment in grades 4 & 5 will be under-taken during
the next two years.
Quality InputsThe government has for the first timestarted a
scheme of giving a grant toschools to purchase quality inputs
requiredfor classroom teaching. The formula isbased on a unit cost
basis and is favourableto small schools in rural areas.
20
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The implementation of EducationalReforms commenced in 1998/99
hasreached half-way and it is time to reflecton the strengths and
weaknessesand to carryout mid-course corrections.The MoE has
realised that certainactivities have to be strengthened andcertain
new areas have to be introduced.
Accordingly, a number of new initiativeshave commenced from this
year, 2001.
Development of Schools on a Fast Track
Provision of equal access to education hasbeen a corner-stone in
the history ofeducation from the mid twentieth century.The reform
proposal recognized this factand proposed the development of
schoolsat Divisional Level. Now it has been feltthat this process
needs to be expedited.
Accordingly, it has been decided that:
lWhile completing the development of the134 selected schools
this year the balanceschools too should be developed on a
fast-track.
lThe 54 Central Schools establishedoriginally in 1945 47 will be
revitalisedby upgrading the infrastructure facilitiesand improving
the teaching-learningprocess through staff development andbetter
supervision.
lA primary school improvementprogramme will be implemented in
themain urban centres to relieve the pressureon admission to
prestigious schools.
lIn order to promote national harmonyAmity Schools where
children of differentcommunities study together will beestablished
in areas where there aremulti-ethnic groups
lThe schools in the North-East provincewhich have been affected
by the war,where buildings and infrastructure facilitieshave been
neglected will be renovated in
order to rehabilitate these schools.lAround 115 schools in the
plantation sectorwhich have not been covered by theearlier projects
will be taken up for devel-opment during this year.
These interventional programmes will easeout some of the
disparties that arepersisting in the education system.
Early Childhood Care & Development(ECCD)
Although the provision of Early ChildhoodCare & Development
activities are carriedout by the Provincial Councils, the
LocalGovernment Authorities, ServiceOrganisations,
Non-GovernmentOrganiozations and private parties there isno
national plan to cover the total populationin this age group.
Considering theimportance of the first five years in the life ofa
child and the importance of propernutrition and mental stimulation
at thisstage, the MoE has realized the need to takeover the
responsibility for ECCD at nationallevel. Accordingly, a committee
hasprepared a National Policy and a plan ofaction to provide an
effective ECCD deliverysystem.
Action will be taken to enact legislationclearly laying down the
responsibilities ofthe MoE, the provincial Authorities with
thenecessary regulatory mechanism to ensurequality and standards of
ECCD centres.
7 New InitiativesNew Initiatives
21
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Student Welfare Services
The Ministry of Education at present funds awide-ranging package
of student welfaremeasures. These include free text booksfree
uniforms, subsidised transport andmedical services. There is also a
schemeof scholarships offered at Grade 5 topromising students based
on a means test.The Ministry will take action to provideadditional
services as described below:
lAdditional scholarships will be awarded atthe end of grade 9
taking intoconsideration the special aptitudes ofchildren. Under
the PresidentialMillennium Scholarship Scheme,scholarships will
also be awarded to thosewho obtain excellent results at the
GCE(O/L) examination and those who displayspecial talents in sports
and extracurricular activities.
lA supplementary nutrition interventionprogramme will be
implemented in all thedistricts in the country for all primary
levelchildren.
lAn effective programme to combat childabuse will be carried out
in collaborationwith the Child Protection Authority throughan
awareness campaign as well as strictlyenforcing the legal
provisions with the helpof law-enforcement authorities.
Sports & Physical Education
Considering, the need for healthy physicaldevelopment and its
contribution to struc-ture building a new policy on Sports
andHealth Education will be designed andimplemented in the schools.
It will alsoassist those with special talents to improvein their
chosen fields so that they woulddevelop such talents to the optimum
level.
Teaching of Foreign Languages
Proficiency in foreign languages is an ad-vantage for persons
who are looking for jobopportunities in the private sector and
whowish to go abroad for employment. English
is the gateway to access modern knowl-edge which can be accessed
through infor-mation technology. Therefore it has beendecided that
the English language teachingin schools should be further
strengthened.
At the same time teaching other languagessuch as French, German
and Japanese inschools will be encouraged.
A decision has also been taken to introducethe English medium in
G.C.E. (A/L) scienceclass from May this year. It will be extendedto
the other classes gradually.
Education for Peace & Social Harmony
Learning to Live together is one of thepillars that has been
detailed in theUNESCO Report Learning the TreasureWithin. Sri Lanka
being a multi-culturalsociety, experiencing the trauma of anethnic
conflict, regards peace and harmonyas an essential outcome from
education .Peace education, conflict resolution, respectfor others
viewpoints are encouragedthrough the curricular as well as
co-curricu-lar programmes.
Management Development
Management Development is one of thestrategies designed to
improve the quality ofeducation. Accordingly the structure of
theMOE has been redesigned. It is necessaryto improve the
efficiency of the zonal educa-tion offices as these are key
delivery pointsin the system. The officers managing theseplaces
will be given a thorough training toserve the schools and the
teachers betterwhich will lead to overall efficiency.
The introduction of School Based Manage-ment is another strategy
designed to im-prove the management of schools. Underthis
initiative a management council will beset up in schools with
representatives ofteachers, parents and other well wishers.This
will give the authority and responsibil-
22
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ity to the schools implement policies laiddown by the MOE and
the provincialauthorities.
Information Technology
A National policy on the introduction ofInformation Technology
to the schools hasbeen formulated. According to this policy;
nIT will be taught as a subjectnIT will be used as a tool for
learning in theclassroom.
It is expected that around 2000 schools willhave computer
facilities within the next twoyears. Foreign funded projects have
al-ready planned to provide computers toabout 1500 schools.
Eight provincial computer training centreswill be established in
the eight provinces.All teachers who wish to acquire
computerliteracy will be trained in these centres.
Teacher Education
Under the World Bank funded TeacherEducation and Teacher
Deployment projectfacilities for teacher education have
beensubstantially improved.
nFive new National Colleges of Educationhave been constructed to
supplement theexisting 9 National Colleges of Education.
n84 Teacher Centres were established toprovide continuing
education for teachers.
nThe Teacher Educators Service has beenestablished.
nAll untrained Teachers in schools havebeen either trained or
are undergoingtraining.
nA National Authority on Teacher Educationhas been set up to
develop the nationalteacher education system and to ensurequality
and standards. Steps will be taken
to improve the quality of the teachertraining programmes through
the revisionof curricula and staff development.
Evaluation and Quality Assurance
A special unit has been established todevelop quality standards
for teachers,principals and supervisory staff so thatevaluation can
be carried out on a moreobjective basis. This unit after
determiningthe standards and norms will train thesupervisory staff
in scientific evaluations.
n Better Living
Sri Lanka has achieved impressive resultsin literacy and
numeracy. However, thefuture programmes will concentrate on
thedevelopment of other competencies. Theexisting programmes will
be properly inte-grated and carefully monitored to achievethe set
targets.
23
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Education is the right of every child.Providing a quality
education is the obligation of
every government
24
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Compiled by:
Mr. R S MedagamaDr. Tara de MelMr. Lalith WeeratungeMs.
Charmaine Wijesinghe
nit Ministry of EducationMedia
Isurupaya, Sri Jayawardenapura, Kotte,
Battaramulla, Tel: 864811, 864812, Fax:865162
Email: [email protected]
www.moesl.org
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