The approval has been granted for the cabinet paper submitted by The Minister of Education Professor G.L. Pieris relating to the increase of the maximum number of students that should be in one class in a school paying the way for students and the teachers for an excellent learning process and protecting the students’ right for free education.
According to the decision of the cabinet of ministers dated 21.10.2015 stating the number of students as 40 in the year 2016 and above 40 and on the request of the ministry of education under the minister in charge of the subject at that time, the supreme court had decided in 2016 to reduce the maximum number of students to 35 in the year 2021 and thereafter. But the maintaining the number of students at 35 was not practical.
Furthermore, when the students are admitted to schools on various criteria such as compulsory and annual transfers, coming after foreign occupation, change of residence, judges in judicial service, government doctors and specialist doctors, staff members serving in schools, ministry of education and its other departments, teachers in universities, executive officers in the universities, the officers in the Education Administrative Service and Teacher Educators Service, and the officers in other essential services, the limit of 35 students, it has become a social issue. Therefore, the number of demands for school admissions at the weekly public day at the education ministry has already increased more than 3000.
Because of this reason, the cabinet has agreed to revise the maximum number of students in one class as 45 from the year 2021 and to submit this to the Attorney General for necessary legal action.
This decision to increase the maxim limit has taken up to the year 2023 until creating a conducive environment for students with all the facilities developing selected 1000 schools including at least three schools in one Divisional Secretariat Division in the island following the HE the President’s state policy declaration ‘Vision for Prosperity’.
And also, the steps will be taken according to this cabinet paper to introduce a method for giving marks by the ministry of education with regard to school admissions on some identified categories such as compulsory/annual transfers, coming from abroad and change of residence etc..
