Information Communication Technology (ICT) will be included as a subject in the Advanced Level examination curriculum from 2009, said Secretary to the Ministry of Education Ariyarathne Hewage. He said approval for the ICT policy for education will be obtained soon and it will help develop capacity, train teachers, set up ICT centres and build private public partnerships. Ariyarathne was addressing the academia career guidance pre meet organised by the Information Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) which will host the National ICT Capacity Summit and National ICT Career Fair (NICS 2007) from September 1-2 in Colombo. Ariyarathne said information technology and computer science has grown at a phenomenal rate to a US$ 1 trillion industry but the country has not been able to keep pace with developments due to the lack of skilled IT personnel. The challenge today is to get IT professionals for the market.
Education authorities in Sri Lanka have denied the right of a girl to education after she was raped, a rights watchdog said. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) said the principal of a school in Galle has refused to allow the victim to resume her education in the school. “The Principal has stated that the girl denied entry because she is now a disgrace and a bad example to the other students,†a statement issued by the watchdog said. Nadin Ishan Chandika, a resident in Ahangama, is accused of raping the 15-year old girl on 29 December 2006, according to the AHRC. Nadin and his friend, Nuwan “recorded her semi-clothed body on their mobile phones.
 Unemployment is an issue in most of the countries, developing or developed. ‘Graduate Unemployment’ is perhaps a burning issue unique to Sri Lanka. Many, not just the unemployed graduates, think we should treat that issue with utmost importance. Ethnic issue or inflation can wait, but not graduate employment.  Any idea why the issue assumes such a high priority?
A speech made by Prof. Wiswa Warnapala – Minister of Higher Education at the Conference of Vice Chancellors held at the University Grants Commission on May 4, 2007 SPEECH: The purpose of this meeting is to enter into an active dialogue with the Vice Chancellors of the Universities of Sri Lanka, and the primary aim of the dialogue is to make use of the experience of the distinguished Vice Chancellors in formulating a new Higher Education policy for the country. The objectives of Higher Education, due to a wide variety of reasons, have undergone a change, and the university system, which came into existence in 1921 with the establishment of a University College which was later elevated to the status of a fully-fledged University in 1942, fulfilled its tasks and the system expanded to such an extent that Sri Lanka has a fairly developed university system which has had a considerable influence on the intellectual life of the country. With this expansion and the nature of its contribution, no proper policy perspectives have been advanced to bring about changes in the system to make it more meaningful and relevant. In other words, the system did not expand in relation to […]
COLOMBO: President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday urged the teaching community to serve the poor and the less-privileged students in the remotest areas of the country and thereby protect the country’s ‘Free Education’ mechanism. President Rajapaksa was speaking at the handing over of appointment letters to Diploma Holders in Teaching to 2,599 new diplomates. Making a symbolic handing over of appointment letters to a selected number of teachers who had successfully completed their training and qualified to receive the ‘Diploma in Teaching’ for 2007, the President asserted that his Government aims to provide equal opportunities in education to all, sans any irregularities, irrespective of one’s race, religion or region. “A deficiency of Tamil medium teachers did exist in the past, but we took immediate steps to remedy the shortage. We appointed Tamil stream teachers in the North-East and the estate schools.
By Deepal Warnakulasuriya Only half the G.C.E. Ordinary Level students who sat for the last year examination had qualified for the G.C.
by Kumar David http://www.island.lk/2007/06/03/features1.html The results of the December 2006 GCE O-level examinations are appalling but not in the least surprising. The writing has been on the wall for years.
This message is from the organisers of the festival. Shilpasarura is an education software package that is being disseminated through the Nenasala network of the ICT Agency, Sri Lanka. Dear All, As we have reached completion milestone in implementing Shilpa Sayura, and launching its phase II, we are organising a public and media event on June 14 and 15th. We shifted the venue furthest Nenasala in Uva (in reaching), to have a focus on village and to get the villagers involved in its proceedings. We also want village people to learn about ICT benefits to overcome digital divide.
This letter to the editor is from a Jamaican newspaper. The content, however, is very relevant to us in Sri Lanka. The Editor, Sir: How can we, in clear conscience, begrudge a few million dollars more for pre-tertiary education when we have chronically neglected quality education for so long while we splurge on far less important matters, waste and corruption? Moreover, our poorly-managed economy does not offer parents, particularly the many poor ones, employment opportunities enough for them to afford school fees of thousands of dollars, on top of the daily lunch, transport and books and incidentals. Education cannot wait until our fortunes improve; it’s a burning priority and must be accepted as such by all governments.
May 24, Colombo: Sri Lankan graduates have again started agitations seeking employment in the already swollen public service despite the promises by the government to grant them employment immediately. Around 200 unemployed graduates started a protest in front of the Sanath Jayasuriya stadium in Matara amidst chaos vowing to continue their campaign until employments are granted. Unemployed graduates of the Central Province have also launched a similar campaign for weeks. The Minister of Education Susil Prema Jayantha answering a question raised by an MP said to the parliament on Tuesday that 10,000 graduates would be recruited to the public service before the end of June. They include over 7,000 teachers.