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Gevindu concerned about province being basis, backs move to restrict classes to Grade 12
Educational reforms:
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Deputy Secretary of Uththara Lanka Sabhagaya Gevindu Cumaratunga, MP, yesterday (10) said that the move to base proposed educational reforms at provincial level would lead to unnecessary problems.
Cumaratunga, who is also the leader of Yuthukama civil society group, warned of dire consequences if the government succeeded in its bid to do away with the concept of national colleges, particularly at a time various interested parties were pushing for the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution enacted in 1988 in terms of the Indo-Lanka agreement of the previous year.
Asked whether the Opposition coalition opposed the proposed educational reforms, MP Cumaratunga said they accepted the need for reforms. However, the government shouldn’t expect them to keep quiet in the face of serious flaws in the overall strategy, MP Cumaratunga said.Education Minister Susil Premjayantha, who is also the Leader of the House, recently declared that new educational reforms would be introduced early next year.
The lawmaker explained that a set of proposals pertaining to educational reforms received by MPs and the content of subsequent documents on the issue at hand differed sharply. “I raised this issue in parliament in the first week of December,” MP Cumaratunga said, pointing out that proposed educational reforms should be acceptable to all.
The MP emphasized the failure on the part of the Education Ministry to propose ways and means to improve and enhance the teaching of the Mother Language. Lawmaker Cumaratunga said that the proposal to conduct the GCE O/L Examination in Grade 10 and the GCE A/L Examination in Grade 12 was acceptable though certain matters needed to be discussed. “This shouldn’t be another political project,” the first-time entrant to Parliament said.
Referring to the recent Year 5 Scholarship examination, MP Cumaratunga said that he was happy Tamil children sat for the examination in all 25 administrative districts. However, Sinhala students didn’t sit the same examination in Jaffna, Kilicochchi and Batticaloa districts. The MP questioned the failure on the part of Provincial Councils to look into Sinhala schools in the Northern and Eastern Provinces even after the end of the conflict in 2009.
Latest News
Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.
The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025
The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:
Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.
The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.
This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.
The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.
The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka today (07) presented its flagship publication, the Annual Economic Review for 2024 (AER 2024), to President and Minister of Finance, Anura Kumara Disanayake, highlighting the steady progress of Sri Lanka’s economic recovery following the country’s most severe downturn in recent history.
The report was officially handed over by Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank, during a special ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat.
AER 2024 comprises four main chapters: Macroeconomic Developments, Conditions of the Financial System, Review of Central Bank’s Policies and Macroeconomic Outlook.
According to the Review, the Sri Lankan economy showed significant signs of recovery in 2024, following the deep economic crisis experienced two years ago. The recovery trajectory, though challenging, has been notably faster than that of many other debt-distressed countries.
Improvements in economic activity, a partial resurgence in purchasing power and reduced uncertainty are among the key positive indicators noted in the report.
The event was attended by Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the President, K. M. Mahinda Siriwardena, Secretary to the Treasury, Mrs. K. M. A. N. Daulagala, Senior Deputy Governor, Dr. C. Amarasekara, Assistant Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) S. Jegajeevan, Director of Economic Research and Dr. L. R. C. Pathberiya and Additional Director of Economic Research at the Central Bank Dr. V. D. Wickramarachchi.
[PMD]
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