News
GL underscores need for educational reforms to suit current, future needs
Private sector led initiative to enhance English proficiency among student community
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Education Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris says the government wants to enhance opportunities available to the student community to learn English. Prof. Peiris explained the pivotal importance of government-private sector partnership in a large scale countrywide project geared to help the student community.
The former External Affairs Minister told The Island after inspecting an ongoing smart classroom project at Susamayawardhana Maha Vidyalaya in Colombo late last week. W.A. Kapila Weerasuriya, principal of the school was also present.
Launched in early November 2019 in the wake of the failed 2018 constitutional coup, the project was meant to boost the English education to assist the student community at an early stage. Prof. Peiris said that the project would provide an equal opportunity to the student community.
Addressing the gathering at the Susamayawardhana Maha Vidyalaya, Prof. Peiris pointed out the failure on the part of the current education system to produce young Sri Lankans capable of meeting current and growing requirements in the job market. Appreciating the role played by the Brandix Lanka Limited in the implementation of the ‘Right To Read Sri Lanka’ project, Prof. Peiris emphasized the importance of consulting the private sector in the preparation of various courses of study, updating curricula as well as amendments to current and future requirements.
Both the government and the people were really grateful to the private sector for backing the project meant to reach one million students by 2021/22, the minister said.
Brandix Director Ajit Johnpillai, Senthil Eswaran (Brandix, Director, East), Assad Omar (Manager Projects) and Lawrence Vincent (Senior Executive, Projects) accompanied the Minister.
During his brief speech the minister acknowledged that it would be a very costly project.
The Island
asked Assad Omar how Brandix intended to fund the project as a single SmartBoard had been estimated to cost approximately around USD 1,000, the private sector official said that they were having negotiations with the supplier Singer PLC in a bid to lower the price. Responding to another query, Omar said that they commenced preliminary work a couple of months before the Nov, 2018 launch of the project.
Funds made available by donors would be exclusively used to procure SmartBoards; the Brandix spokesperson said adding that the company and the Omar family were to meet other expenses, including administration, logistics, teacher training, maintenance and installation.
Described as a community driven non-profit organization, the project is implemented with the Education Ministry and ‘EnglishHelper Global’, Brandix official said that it was carried out in eight countries having initiated in India in 2013. The countries accommodated in the project, in addition to India and Sri Lanka, are Vietnam, Bangladesh, Colombia, Nicaragua, Honduras, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
Both the Education Ministry and Brandix acknowledged that the success of the project would depend on close cooperation among all stakeholders, including Provincial Ministries of Education.
Prof. Peiris said that his ministry and the government would provide all possible assistance to ensure the countrywide implementation of the project. The ‘RightToRead SriLanka’ project could make a big difference, if implemented, diligently, Prof. Peiris said, highlighting the importance of the project against the backdrop of the subject’s poor performance at the GCE Ordinary Level examination. According to the latest data available, 38 % failed the subject at the CCE OL, the minister pointed out in a brief interview with The Island, adding that the failure rate at the last year’s examination was three times higher than Sinhala and Tamil. The minister said that assisting the student community to learn English was part of the overall thinking of the incumbent government to prepare the younger generation for future challenges.
The minister expressed confidence that the private sector and other well-wishers could throw their weight behind the ambitious project intended to make a genuine difference.
Sri Lanka schooling system comprised 353 national and 9.841 provincial schools with a combined student population of 4.2 mn.’RightToRead SriLanka’ project has been so far implemented in the Northern and Sabaragamuwa Provinces.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, on a number of occasions, discussed urgent need for educational reforms to meet current and future challenges. President Rajapaksa is on record as having said that the education system did not produce employees with qualifications to meet current requirements.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
