“HE The President has established the Ministry of Education amalgamating five separate ministries focusing a common theme. That is human resource development. Four able state ministers have been appointed to the ministry of education. No such appointments of state ministers have been made to any other ministry. We have an excellent secretary who does any work successfully. It is a great strength for us. So, your work is also immensely important for the country. Instead of doing what we ask to do, pass your own ideas to us. Your assistance is so important for us. Start your work for this purpose”, said The Minister of Education G.L. Pieris.
The minister expressed these ideas while participating in the first official meeting held today morning (03) with the officers of the National institute of Education as the minister in charge of the subject of education.
Further expressing his views the minister said,
The National Institute of Education is a place that can provide a great strength to our education system. Your work is highly important. We see two basic issues in the field of education. Those are the curricula and the teaching methodology. It must be analytically explored whether the aims of education have been achieved through the teaching methodologies. Our children today have to memorize the facts taught. It is only to write in the examination recalling what they were taught. But the necessary attention is not drawn towards the productive strength of the child, creativity, independent thinking, problem analyzing skills or how to use the learned things in the problem solving process in life. Therefore we expect to revise the curricula.
We hope to conduct seminars in this regard in all districts in Sri Lanka. We will be doing these revisions in collaboration with the principals, teachers, parents, past pupils and all social groups. We will identify the weaknesses in curricula and look into the possible steps to be taken.
The minister pointed out at this occasion that whether the majority of students receiving degrees after the university education are satisfied with the employments they receive. Is there a convergence between the education they acquired and the demands in the job market? These factors must be practically explored. The minister further explained that the business community in this country has the ability to expand the investing opportunities but the necessary human resources for that must be created by the system of education.
The minister further mentioned that the Asian Development Bank has agreed to provide assistance to construct new 10 universities in addition to existing number of universities and the necessary atmosphere for all the graduates to live in the society with dignity must be created in this country.
The ministers including the state ministers Dr. Susil Premajayantha and Dr. Seetha Arambepola, the Secretary of Education Professor Kapila Perera, The Director General of the National Institute of Education Dr. Sunil Jayantha Nawarathna, the State Secretary of Education Reforms Dr. Upali Sedara and several senior officers had joined in this occasion.
