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British Council and CBB celebrate 15 years of teacher training project

Published

5 years ago

2020/10/11

The British Council celebrated the long- running CBB English Language Teacher Training Project at a ceremony at the Ministry of Education recently.

The project, which has been running since 2005, draws to a close this year. It grew out of six weekend workshops around the country and developed into the annual delivery of English language teacher training to approximately 200 English language teachers nationwide.

More than 2,000 teachers have been trained through this project impacting on over 310,000 pupils. The course is a distance teacher training program with study sessions run by the trainers at the 31 RESCs (Regional English Support Centres) across the country leading up to the University of Cambridge Teaching Knowledge Test.

Speakers at the event included Professor K. Kapila C. K. Perera, Secretary to the Minister of Education, Ms Roshanie Moraes, CBB President, British High Commissioner, Sarah Hulton and Ms. Louise Cowcher, Director Education and English, British Council.

The project was not able to have its annual awards ceremony because of the Covid-19 outbreak. Instead the Cambridge Teaching Knowledge Test and British Council teacher training certificates were given to the teachers at their RESCs. A collage of photographs taken during these smaller ceremonies were displayed at the event. The RESC mentors attended were given certificates for their work on the project.

The publication, A Celebration of the CBB Teacher Training Project: 2005-2020 – Case Studies from across the country by the Council for Business with Britain (CBB) and the British Council, was launched at the event. The project’s legacy is the cadre of trainers and teachers it created who then impacted on hundreds of thousands of pupils. This publication is a collection of their personal stories.

Their stories show children becoming more confident in their use of English and becoming more motivated to use the language. Teachers also cited the increase in their pupil marks in end of term tests and in O and A levels. The case studies clearly illustrated the move from teacher to student centred classrooms and a corresponding increase in teacher and student confidence.

The event also showcased this year’s addition to the project in the form of an employability poster competition. Teachers on the project worked with their classes to produce a poster on a topic connected to employability. These posters were shortlisted by the RESCs, then by the British Council, and the finalists were selected by members of the CBB committee. The winning teachers whose classes submitted the successful posters received their awards. The posters were on display at the event and also included in the case study publication.

Roshanie J. Moraes, President, CBB, said “this was CBB’s contribution to upskilling the future workforce of Sri Lanka in the English Language and we are extremely proud to have positively impacted a large number of teachers and students through this in the last 15 years. We hope the teachers and the mentors take this program forward and engage in continuous development and continue to serve our society”.

Mark Prothero, CEO of HSBC Sri Lanka and Maldives, the principal sponsor, emphasized the importance of the project, saying, “The importance of developing English literacy skills is a highly-topical and necessary national debate. It is important for the learning community, in particular the teachers, to foster a generation of students who can use the language as a base in their future careers. HSBC has been the principal sponsor of this project since 2006 and we are very proud of what we have achieved with the program.”

Louise Cowcher, Director Education and English of the British Council said, “This has been a key project in supporting young people develop their language skills, which is vital for enhancing their employability.

“Over the lifespan of the project 2,352 teachers have developed their professional skills to internationally benchmarked standards with the benefits passed on to approximately 310,400 secondary students. This is indeed an achievement to celebrate with CBB and the Ministry of Education!”

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News

Navy divers restore sluice gate of Bomburuella Reservoir

Published

8 hours ago

2026/01/23

Priyan

The Sri Lanka Navy successfully conducted a diving operation on 19 Jan 26 to inspect and restore the sluice gate of the Bomburuella Reservoir.

Acting on a request from the Department of Irrigation, the Sri Lanka Navy deployed a specialized diving team from the Western Naval Command, for the urgent requirement.

Through concerted effort, the Navy divers successfully cleared accumulated debris, including a significant quantity of wooden fragments, which had impeded the sluice gate mechanism.

News

PM holds High-Level meetings with EU, UNDP, and corporate leadership at World Economic Forum

Published

12 hours ago

2026/01/23

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya held a series of high-level bilateral meetings on Wednesday [January 21] on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, engaging with representatives of the European Union, the United Nations Development Programme, and the global private sector.

The Prime Minister met with Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management. During the meeting, she expressed Sri Lanka’s appreciation for the support extended by the European Union and its member states following Cyclone Ditwa. The Prime Minister also briefed the Commissioner on the key findings of the World Bank’s GRADE report and requested continued EU support for Sri Lanka’s development and recovery efforts.

Prime Minister Amarasuriya also met with Alexander De Croo, representing the United Nations Development Programme. She expressed appreciation for the longstanding partnership between Sri Lanka and the United Nations and acknowledged the UN’s support in flood relief and livelihood assistance. The Prime Minister noted that, following the mandate received at the parliamentary election, the government is focused on meeting public expectations through national rebuilding grounded in public trust and good governance. She further reaffirmed the Government of Sri Lanka’s commitment to strengthening social protection systems and safeguarding vulnerable communities.

In addition, the Prime Minister met with Robert M. Uggla, Chairman of A.P. Moller Holding. The discussion focused on engagement with the private sector and potential areas of collaboration.

These meetings reflected Sri Lanka’s continued engagement with international partners and global stakeholders to support recovery, development, and long-term economic stability.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

News

Opposition slams sitting HC judge’s appointment as Justice Ministry Additional Secretary

Published

17 hours ago

2026/01/23

Thilina Walpola

Prof. Peiris

… alleges Prez trying to control judiciary

Opposition grouping ‘Mahajana Handa’ has accused President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of trying to exercise control over the judiciary by appointing a sitting High Court judge as Additional Secretary to the Justice and National Integration Ministry.

Addressing the media at Dr. N. M. Perera Centre, Punchi Borella, on Tuesday (20) top Opposition spokesman and former External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris warned the High Court judge D.M.D.C. Bandara’s appointment was nothing but a direct executive intervention in the judiciary.

Responding to The Island queries, Prof Peiris asked how the government could compel courts to deal with a sitting judge who functioned as Secretary to the Justice and National Integration Ministry.

Prof. Peiris explained that the latest move by the Executive should be examined taking into consideration the attacks on Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe Jr, PC., the deliberate delaying of the appointment of Auditor General and the controversy over the process of promotions of Judicial Officers, Judges of the High Court and the Court of Appeal in Sri Lanka. Prof. Peiris pointed out that the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) had raised those controversial promotions with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

D.M.D.C. Bandara, Senior Assistant Secretary, Judicial Service Commission, was among altogether 18 High Court judges appointed by President Dissanayake in early Sept this year. The group consisted of 17 Special Class Judicial Officers and a Senior State Counsel serving in the Attorney General’s Department.

Referring to a recent meeting ‘Mahajana Handa’ representatives, including him had with the Mahanayake theras of the Asgiriya and Malwatta Chapters in Kandy, Prof. Peiris said that they had received the blessings of the Mahanayakes to go ahead with what he called a programme of action meant to address major issues.

Prof. Peiris said they would initiate talks with other like-minded political parties and groups in this regard soon. Referring a protest held at the Hulftsdorp on Wednesday (21) demanding the removal of the AG Ranasinghe, Prof. Peiris emphasized that the government’s hand in that demonstration was very clear. President Ranil Wickremesinghe appointed him as the AG in July 2024 with the unanimous backing of the Constitutional Council.

Prof. Peiris said that action was yet to be initiated to appoint new civil society representatives to the Constitutional Council. That issue hadn’t received sufficient public attention, Prof. Peiris said, urging President Dissanayake to come down from his high horse.

Asked whether the President could appoint a sitting judge as an Additional Secretary to a Ministry without consulting the Chief Justice and President of the High Court Judges Association, sources familiar with the issues at hand said that certain appointments could be made on secondment. However, that has to follow the proper procedure, sources said.

The Island sought a response from the Justice and National Integration Ministry to the accusations made by Prof. Peiris on behalf of ‘Mahajana Handa,’ but did not receive one until this edition went to press.

By Shamindra Ferdinando ✍️