This programme is to be implemented under the theme “The professional turning point in Free Education”. This scheme would enable students who sit for the G.C.E. Ordinary Level Examination to obtain Higher Educational qualifications notwithstanding whether they pass or fail.
Phase II Details - Download
To which extent is it rational to search the ability of a fish to climb trees when the fish is judged? If a decision is given that the fish is incapable because it cannot climb trees, then the fish has to spend his entire life thinking that he is a failure. When the evaluations are done the most important thing to be identified is the field in which he is most talented. What do you think about this view pointed out by the world famous scientist Albert Einstein?
Einstein did not speak properly until he is three years old. When he needed to say something he murmured it. Even that murmuring was not audible. One day speechless small Einstein sat for dinner with his parents. Suddenly he had said, ‘This soup is hot’. Amazed with this sudden talk of their son, the father and mother had asked why he had not spoken like that before. He had replied saying that the reason for it was so far everything had happened perfectly. Even at the school Einstein spoke very little and for that reason he was not a popular student among teachers in primary as well as secondary levels. The teachers thought Einstein to be a lazy and ill-bred child. But later the situation was completely changed. The condition changed positively up to the level that it could not be talked about relativity, expressive electro effect or mass energy balance without mentioning the name of Albert Einstein.
The situation was extremely positive that there was no such place in the modern Physics where the name of Einstein is not mentioned. The talented should not be allowed to be backward due to the wrong measurements. The education must be organized to make the brilliant into more brilliant but not to expel them from education after branding as unintelligent through exam evaluations. More attention must be drawn towards such drop out children from the measurements in order to create geniuses like Einstein.
Under the leadership of The Minister of Education Akila Viraj Kariyawasam all necessary actions are being taken to provide a 13 year certified continuous education with the provision of opportunity to learn at advanced level under the vocational subject stream without considering the pass or failure of examinations in order to give a clear decision about the future of the students who give up the schooling after the ordinary level examination. This is done for adding a light to the future of the children who have hidden talents just like the people of Einstein’s caliber.
Examination centered education gives judgments on the lives of children depending on their short term memory. The memory related to subject knowledge acquired by the children during a few years of school time is measured through a test conducted within few hours. Depending on the pass or failure one will become a doctor and an engineer. And some others remain unemployed or engaged in unstable employments due to the fault of exam certificates while cursing the society about his unfortunate circumstances. They take the leadership of crimes, frauds, corruptions, murders, lootings, riots, upheavals, conflicts and revolutions those are happening in the country. During a long period of time together with the oppressed they curse the oppressors.
The education is needed to end this struggle but not for providing incentives to it; to reduce the number of the oppressed up to the zero. Under the leadership of present Minister of Education a number of policy decisions are implemented in order to accomplish this change in the system of education. And also to give the real value, estimate and respect to the labour provided by the people of this country just as the people in the developed countries do. The tradition of taking the father’s profession by a son of a farmer has been changed. The agricultural technology has been developed up to the level that a son of a farmer can achieve more productivity making less effort than his father.
He has the ability and strength to do farming extensively using machines instead of using cattle. The son has the ability to fulfill his future endeavors sometimes through the means that his father never had thought of. Broader opportunities have been opened to join with the future world together with the new trends in all sectors such as science, technology, communication and transport.
Sri Lanka has a proud recognition as a country providing free education from grade one to university. Free education opportunities have been provided to all children in the country including the welfare facilities such as free textbooks, free uniforms and free mid day meal for identified school children. The number of children admitted annually to the grade one in the education system in Sri Lanka is more than three hundred thousand. Out of these admitted children roughly more than 80,000 students become dropouts annually due to the fact that they have not passed the ordinary level examination to qualify for advanced level studies. Less than ten percent students out of the total number of students studying at the advanced level receive the university admittance. Majority of the school leavers after completing advanced level has to join the people who left the school before them after ordinary level and happen to work hard providing manual labor in any institution of under a person for a meager salary. Then they have to face all physical and mental hardships arising due to mental stress related to low wages, excessive workload and less training.
Since then, they join the caliber of minor employees who work with bankrupt thoughts about education and having lot of avoiding, evading, mistaking, neglecting, postponing due to disgusting of service instead of guiding and further training and become used to blame the people of their own class, put them into troubles and cause them to loiter. They uproar slogans and try to do revolutions to win their rights while searching the opportunities to crawl under the political hands. And they conclude their lives while always burning and regretting about social justice, equity and right. Many of them just wait for the end of life.
There must be a practical intervention for a revolutionary change in education in order to safeguard the new generation of human beings from this hell pit. With the total intervention of the minister of education, steps are being taken to provide a 13 year certified education to all children in the country with the hope of achieving that noble target.
This opportunity of proceeding to the learning in advanced level classes for any student after the ordinary level without considering the pass or fail at the O/L was introduced in 2017 in 42 schools in the country as a pilot project. In the second stage of this program the number of schools was increased up to 153 and at the moment opportunities have been given to more than 19000 students to follow the advanced level vocational subject stream.
Under this program steps have been taken to provide smart classrooms for students to do their studies conveniently. Accordingly, measures have already been taken under the first stage to arrange 133 smart classrooms, in the second stage 424 smart classrooms, in the third stage 1331 smart classrooms and 1888 smart classrooms in 2019.
The issue raised by some people in this regard was the interest of students towards the ordinary level examination would be reduced because of this program. But actually what happened was the uncertainty about their future prevailed so far in the minds of the students sitting for ordinary level was diminished. With the provision of opportunities of learning at the advanced level disregarding the pass or failure at the ordinary level examination, their expectations of learning in a much preferred subject stream and obtaining expertise were increased.
The students who enter the grade one in 2018 will leave the school in 2031 after completing the 13 years education. We must have today at least a rough idea about the employment challenges faced by those children. We must identify that the future employments are totally different from what we do today in the rapid changing world with the new trends in science, technology and communication. It is not practical at all to teach our children the same outdated subject knowledge that we learnt. The far-reaching policy decisions of the minister of education are targeted at that generation of children who enter the future employment market but not for today.
This is the way that the two years advanced level school period is arranged for the students entering to study the vocational subject stream. During the first six months time they have the opportunity to achieve the essential learning competencies. During this period the students have the opportunity to learn 10 common subjects.
Clearing all the shortcomings prevailed so far, the measures have also been taken to recruit 1150 new teachers with subject knowledge to the system to teach these subjects. The teachers are trained here to do teaching activities on the basis of student centered education methodology. All teacher training activities are done by the National Institute of Education in collaboration with the National Colleges of Education island-wide.
The preparation of modules for this purpose has already finalized by the National Institute of Education and the steps are taken to release all the recruited teachers to the schools after a short term residential training started from 06th of August.
The students who follow the vocational subject stream at the advanced level have the opportunity to go for higher vocational status with NVQ Level 4 after their two years study. Through this program, a real contribution will be made to the Sri Lankan labor force by providing citizens who are competent with vocational skills and can achieve success through personal development, self respect and personality.
It is our belief that by the end of 2019 this program will be able to make all the school children in the country to be learners at the advanced level and to direct the children empowered with suitable competencies to the future world of work with the contribution and strength of state, semi-governmental and private institutions as a result of this 13 years certified education program implemented with the guidance, instructions and blessings of The Minister of Education Akila Viraj Kariyawasam.
Southern Province – Mr. Sumith Parakramawansa - 0713432236 /0912222087
Northern Province – Mr. Lenin Ariwalahan - 0777252022
Uva Province – Mr. D.M.P.K. Dissanayaka - 0777614333
Central Province – Mr. A. Abewickrama - 0719783574
North Central Province – Mrs. E.M.B.S. Ekanayaka - 0718077583
Sabaragamuwa Province – Mrs. C.R. Matara Arachchi - 0452222403
North Western Province – Mr. J.H.M. Yasawimala – 0718172118
Western Province – Mr. Prabath Withanage - 0718617295
Eastern Province – Mrs. Sugandini Waraseelan - 0773 299594
More details about the 13 years certified education program can be obtained from the Director of Education (Education for All) , telephone number 0112787136.
Introducing the subject stream - Circular
Thirteen years continuous education program providing education opportunities for all – 2018
Download the list of selected schools for pilot project (second stage) 2018 from here.
Introducing the subject stream - Circular
Thirteen years continuous education program providing education opportunities for all – 2018
Download the list of selected schools for pilot project (second stage) 2018 from here.
