The National Institute of Education has engaged in a unique epoch mission to provide continuous education to the children in Sri Lanka in the face of covid pandemic which has become a global crisis. The Ministry of Education, The State Ministry of Distant Education Development and the National Institute of Education in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Rupawahini Corporation has produced 6,200 programs under the series of Gurugedara educational TV programs. Among them more than five thousand (5,000) programs have been telecast.
These audio-visual educational programs are being telecast continuously during almost one and half year’s period since April 2020 with the beginning of covid spreading.
At the first stage of Gurugedara it was limited to teach only the main subjects belonging to ordinary level and advanced level exams but in second and third stages it has implemented the programs covering the school curriculum from grade three to grade thirteen so far. All the programs are produced according to a planned procedure following the proper teaching methods suitable for each subject at the level of every grade.
Furthermore, the National Institute of Education has produced these programs in both Sinhala and Tamil media targeting 30 subjects in advanced level classes, 25 subjects in the ordinary level classes and four main subjects related to primary section.
The aim of the National Institute of Education is to produce educational television programs covering all syllabuses related to these grades by the end of year 2021 in a way that achieving all essential learning competencies.
And also, the National Institute of Education has already taken the necessary steps to produce educational TV programs for generating language and mathematical literacy of the children in grades 01 and 02 with the assistance of State Ministry of Education.
Gurugedara educational TV programs are recorded in three studios in the premises of the NIE and in one studio of the provincial ministry of education, Jaffna. The experienced and talented teachers from the leading schools in the island and the experienced subject teachers selected from the provinces have joined in these programs as resource persons following the covid protective measures.
In order to make this national endeavor a success, the ministry of education, the state ministry of education, provincial ministry of education and several other institutions are extending a great support to the national institute of education.
In parallel to the Gurugedara television educational program telecast through channel eye and Nethra channel of the Rupawahini corporation, another opportunity has been given to the students through Channel NIE – You Tube to watch all programs produced in relation to each grades and subjects. The Director General of the National Institute of Education Dr. Sunil Jayantha Nawarathna requests from all children to take full advantage of this great opportunity without missing it which has been given to them by the NIE taking all the current challenges as blessings.
