DailyMirror
The Education Ministry said it would not be responsible for the selection process for Grade one admissions under new reforms in the regulations pertaining to the admission process, which will come into effect from this year.
The Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena said this at a media briefing held yesterday, adding that these measures were being taken to solve issues with the process and to minimise the corruption involved with the process, saying that details of the changes will be divulged through the state media today.
He said the main change in the procedure was the composition of the interview board for admissions, which will no longer be made up of officials of the Education Ministry, but instead will consist of representatives from parents, past pupils, teachers’ body and the principal or vice principal of the school.
“After discussions with members of the cabinet and a committee appointed to implement changes, the Ministry had decided that it would change the interview process for Grade one admissions.”
He further said, “If parents feel that there is any injustice in this process, as per the newly implemented regulations, appeals will be permitted. The appeals committee would consist of an official from the Education Ministry and will be headed by a principal of another school, from that area.”
He added that these measures will not completely resolve the issue of admissions, but it was the best option, given the limited time period the Ministry had to implement it.
Under the new procedure, admissions will be accepted in June, with the process ending in December, so that schools would be able to accommodate Grade one studens from the beginning of the first term in January.
Minister Gunawardena also said that Education officials were attempting to establish long lasting changes that would benefit the country and would not alter when the government or ministers in charge change.
The Minister also outlined new programmes that would see the introduction of new classes in English in schools, to uplift the standard of education in the rural areas.
“We are adding more than 500 teachers who can teach in the English medium at rural schools, so that these students do not have to travel far to get the same education in a different school” he explained.
The Ministry has also taken steps to organize for specialists in various fields, to help students in the Advanced Level classes, by sharing their knowledge and insight with these students.
These specialists would attend classes once a week for two hours and would help A/L children free of charge.