– Prime Minister and the Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education Dr. Harini Amarasuriya

The Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that counseling and psychology should be included in the school curriculum, and that a proper plan should be prepared for the recruitment of teachers for this purpose.

The Minister expressed these views while participating in a discussion held to provide awareness on the current status of the program to formulate a National Policy on Psychological Counseling, which is aimed at maintaining the mental level of school-going students in a sound manner.

Further expressing her views, the Minister pointed out that programs of this nature should be implemented in all schools in the country according to a systematic plan that covers all provinces. Drawing attention to the vacancies of provincial psycho-social resource center managers, as well as the facilities required for resource centers, and also to the positive discipline management methods relevant to the field of education, the Minister stated that it should be considered whether greater effectiveness could be achieved by solving problems such as conflict resolution, drug abuse, exploitation, and child abuse all in one place.

It was also brought to the Minister’s attention that discussions are being held with teachers, teacher advosors, and subject directors, while also considering international standards, to formulate a National Policy against Child Violence. Under the pilot project of this program, children are reported to be very happy in the classrooms that have been prepared, and the pilot program is currently being successfully carried out, covering 50 schools across provinces at the rate of 10 schools per province.

Media Unit