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SL school education to be reformed to meet international standards – Education Minister
Mishrawarna Olympiad Champions’ Awards Ceremony
By Claude Gunasekera
A long-awaited revolutionary approach to the national education system is now to be launched next year by introducing the world renowned STEAM education framework with a sturdy focus on subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics to teach students how to think critically, solve problems and use creativity, in their mindset that prepares them to work in career areas that are predicted to experience significant growth.
Minister of Education Dr. Susil Premajayantha revealed this new education strategy in the presence of Secretary to Ministry of Education Nihal Ranasinghe when he attended the Mishrawarna Olympiad Champions’ Awards Ceremony at the Colombo University during the weekend. He was the Chief Guest. It is an annual event organized by Sri Lanka Olympiad Mathematics Foundation since 2004.
The minister said it was the first time that such an initiative had been taken to introduce a global education model in to the curriculum in Sri Lanka and grounding in STEAM subjects offered a broader array of career choices for developing personalities. “Earlier, we have been reforming the education system on and off, but the real need is the transformation to global trends in par with international standards. We have been following the same old system for many years, but the new initiative will help achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030 through a quality education. He said Finland ranks world’s No.1 in Quality Education and the reason is that teachers are accountable for each student and we too have to follow it by providing vigorous training to teachers here as in Singapore.
Minister Premajayantha also pointed out that STEAM education promotes the integration between subjects that aims at favoring deep and collaborative learning on students, through curricular integration in scientific education. He invited and sought the assistance and cooperation from all concerned and involved individuals and institutions in education to support this mission towards making the new approach a success.
Minister also said that Mathematics is a compulsory subject in school curriculum world-over and is an essential discipline in human progress and the foundation for innovation and creativity in human thinking. He concluded commending the mission conducted by Sri Lanka Olympiad Mathematics Foundation (SLOMF) and particularly it’s Founder / Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Chanakya Wijeratne and assured the fullest cooperation of the Education Ministry to support the annual Olympiad Championship Awards Ceremony from next year.
“Mathematics Achievement’ is essentially an important indicator in the economic development of a country “said Nihal Ranasinghe, Secretary Ministry of Education. He further said that International Mathematic Competition (IMO) is the most prestigious and important mathematical competition for high school students and since early nineties Sri Lankan students have toured overseas to take part this competition. He further said that SLOMF has been providing a tremendous platform to support mathematics among the school children in Sri Lanka and commended the efforts taken by the foundation to enhance the quality of mathematics. He said the contribution is greatly appreciated.
Quoting that “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a Fire” Dr. Chanakya Wijeratne said conducting the Sri Lanka Mathematics Competition (SLMC) Island wide since 2004, has attempted to light fires in thousands of local school children’s minds posing interesting and challenging efforts for the zone of proximal development in improving critical thinking, mathematical thinking and creativity for problem solving.
Further speaking at the occasion Dr. Wijeratne said “At school you mostly do exercises which are routine tasks and easy to do. But solving problems require patience. Often solutions are not found in an instant. Sometimes you struggle and fail. Failures are the pillars of success. Every failure, every mistake is an opportunity to grow if you have a growth mind set. With a growth mind set you can aim high. You can aim for the moon or Dream big. You could be the next Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg or Andrew Wiles. Don’t be afraid of failing. Even if you miss the moon, you will land among the stars”.
He said the Sri Lankan national team that attended the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) held in Norway this year did remarkably well and they brought honors’ to the nation. He told that students who take part in the IMO have easy opportunity to get admission into top ranking universities in the world.It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you all this Olympiad Champions’ Awards Ceremony 2022. I feel lucky to have the opportunity to say a few words to the
Dayan Kiriwaththuduwa, National Coordinator & Chief Technical Officer of SLMOF, felicitated Dr. Chanakya Wijeratne for the immense service rendered in the school & university education sector through mathematics Olympiad and stated in his citation that “Self-visualization is the defining of self-future, based on present knowledge of goals, hopes, and dreams. Dr. Chanakya Wijeratne is teaching this point and is a desirable model himself”.
Glenfrey De Mel, Chief Operating Officer (COO) speaking at the occasion invited and encouraged all school children in the country to participate in the Sri Lanka Mathematics Competition which is not purely based on the mathematics subject but it is a mind improvement game worth attended by any student. He said the online registration is open by next month (October) for the examination to be held in January 2023 and the Sri Lankan team for International Mathematical Olympiad will be selected among the winners of the national competition.
Dr. Dayal Dharmasena, Director Training, Samantha Ariyaratna, Director Operations SLMOF, and Jagath Chandana Perera, Advisory Partner KPMG were attended the occasion for presentation of awards.There were around 250 award winners from a variety of schools all over the country, with Gold, Silver, Bronze Medalists and Certificate winners.
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
