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.