National policy on education: Paper presented to Parliament

*Central authority to monitor preschools
*A national TV channel for education
*Pvt. tuition during school hours banned
* A code of ethics for teachers

August 21, 2013, 10:39 pm , the island


By Saman Indrajith

Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena yesterday presented to Parliament ‘New Educational Policies and Proposals for General Education in Sri Lanka’, based on proposals presented to the Special Parliamentary Select Committee on Education. It had been suggested that the state should allocate five per cent of GDP for education through its budget, he said.

Minister Gunawardena presenting the paper said that the proposals were based on suggestions that had been made before a committee comprising 23 members of parliament belonging to both the government and the Opposition.

Various organisations, doctors, members of parliament, principals and teachers, university dons, old students’ associations and other parties connected to education numbering around 1,000 had made presentations before the committee, the minister said.

The draft paper was presented to the House so that a new national policy on education could be formulated for the benefit of schoolchildren numbering four million. Those policies would survive changes of governments, the minister said, adding that he was seeking the approval of all members of parliament for such an education policy.

Among its recommendations are:

* Preschool education should be monitored by a central authority.

* Education should be made compulsory for children from 5-16 years.

* Children should have the right to learn and practise their religion in school.

* The syllabi, learning, teaching process, timetables, etc. should be updated every five years in keeping with global trends and the teachers trained.

* A national television channel for education should be established.

* Examination Act No 25 of 1968 should be revised.

* Classifying schools in various ways should be stopped.

* Schoolchildren should be banned from using cellular phones.

* Holding private tuition classes during school hours should be prohibited and students should be banned from attending them during school hours.

* A code of ethics for teachers should be drawn up and established.

U’grads accuse admin. of suppression to make way for SB’s plans

August 21, 2013, 10:10 pm , the island

By Dasun Edirisinghe

The pro–JVP Socialist Students’ Union (SSU) yesterday claimed that Sabaragamuwa University administration was suppressing students to make way for Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake’s ‘sinister’ plans.

SSU Convener Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said that so far, from 2011, 70 undergraduates had been suspended without proper reasons being given.

He said that all suspended students had been unable to sit their examinations and one of them, the former President of the Agriculture Faculty Students’ Union, had even been assaulted by government thugs.

"The university administration has started to suppress students by prohibiting all students’ unions including the Students’ Council on January 01, 2011," Dr. Jayatissa said, adding that the University Act of 1978 enabled students to form unions and stage protests.

He said that the university administration had suspended 58 undergraduates including 15 female students from Jan. 31, 2011 to March 2013.

However, students had revived the unions after protests, but the Students’ Council and all Faculty Unions had been suspended once again on March 15, 2013, Dr. Jayatissa said, adding that five students including the President and Secretary of the Students’ Council had also been suspended. "When students protest against the ban on unions and suspensions, the university administration get the police to disperse peaceful protest by firing rubber bullets and water canon, which resulted in 60 undergraduates being injured on June 01."

Police had also arrested nine students for organizing the protest and the university administration had suspended another 47 students for being involved in the protest, Dr. Jayatissa said.

He said another 17 students had been suspended on Aug. 3, and former President of the Agriculture Faculty Students’ Union brutally assaulted in a hostel.

"We demand that the academic freedom of students be ensured," Dr. Jayatissa said, adding that universities must not be run like torture chambers.