The Minister of Education Professor G.L. Peiris said that it is expected to start within next week 06 new TV channels as the first step of the program of starting 20 TV channels specially reserved for education and also the ‘Vision FM’ radio broadcasting channel which is launched in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation.
The minister said this while addressing a meeting held at the ministry of mass media.
It has been planned to start these channels as sustainable fulltime channels which have not been available in the history and it is expected to activate the radio broadcasting channel in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation and the TV channels in collaboration with Sri Lanka Telecom Institution through PEO TV. So far, more than 7000 programs have been recorded with the involvement of National Institute of Education. The minister further stated that after the committee meeting chaired by the Minister Susil Premajayantha the final decisions will be taken about the ordering the programs and starting the transmission of them from next week.
The ministry did a great deal of work in silence during the recent past about the opening of educational channels and the opportunity will be taken to explain this at the occasion of parliament adjourning debate next Thursday. The opportunity will be available on that day to present the programs implemented by the ministry so far and the progress of them, he said. It had been planned to open the schools from September under the health guidance after the vaccination of all teachers and non-academic staffs but it is not sure under the current covid pandemic issue. Therefore, under these circumstances, the online education has become the best alternative method. All decisions must have to be taken about the transmission of educational channels in addition to the currently operating channels such as Gurugedara and ethaksalawa.
The actions are being organized to open and strengthen the education by starting separate TV channels for each grade under this expanded program. The minister also emphasized that the priority must be given to the education of the children even if there are various issues such as economic crisis, health problems and salary anomalies of the teachers.
A gathering including The Minister of Mass Media Keheliya Rambukwella, The State Ministers Susil Premajayantha, Seetha Arambepola, Piyal Nishantha, The secretaries of the ministries of education and mass media, the secretaries of state ministries, the public officers including the Director General of National Institute of Education, the media secretary of the ministry of education Mr. Buddhika Wickramadara and the heads of media institutions had joined in this occasion.
