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National Policy on recruitment of teachers out soon

By Saman Indrajith
Leader of the House and Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that a national policy to recruit teachers to the school system was being formulated and it would be introduced to the country soon.
Speaking at the Consultative Committee on Education held in Parliament on Friday (10), Minister Gunawardena said that the need for a national policy to recruit persons to the teaching service had been there for decades.
He also pointed out that there was a need to formulate a proper system to fill the vacancies of principals in schools with qualified teachers.
While claiming that resolving the current teacher salary anomaly is a serious problem, State Minister Susil Premajayantha said that the process of locating teachers should also be streamlined. The State Minister also stated that a programme was underway to transform the teacher training National Colleges of Education into Universities.
Minister Premajayantha said that there were 240,000 teachers in 10,155 schools across the country teaching 4,300,000 children. The student to teacher ratio was 17:1. Although that ratio was for the national level, there was a disparity when it came to schools which had less than 100 students. There the student- teacher ratio was 7:1, the State Minister pointed out.
Addressing the committee through online technology, Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara said that the official languages are in a state of decline. He also drew the attention of the Committee to the fact that English was becoming the language of education in the country at present.
It was revealed at the Consultative Committee on Education that the report of the technical committee for the inclusion of law as a subject in the school syllabus would be submitted to the relevant subcommittee within two weeks. It was also suggested that law should be included not as a separate subject but as part of the subject of Civic education. Member of Parliament Dr. Harini Amarasuriya said that it was very important to include children’s rights in it as well. She pointed out that the relationship between law and society should also be reflected in it.
It was also discussed at this Committee that a proper programme should be implemented to make permanent the graduate trainees attached to schools. MPs brought to the notice of the committee that out of 60,000 graduates, 18,000 were currently attached to schools and the methodology proposed to make them permanent was problematic.
State Minister Jayantha Samaraweera stated that some of the graduates who were currently attached to schools do not like the methodology.
MP Chandima Weerakkody pointed out the need to implement a proper programme to protect the dignity of teachers.
Further discussions were held at the Committee on the School Selection Programme for the project to establish 1000 National Schools. The Committee Chairman informed the Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Prof. Kapila Perera to take measures and explain the matter to the Committee.
State Minister Sitha Arambepola, Members of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Education, MPs Anupa Pasqual, Yadamini Gunawardena and Premanath C. Dolawatta were also present at the Committee Meeting. Meanwhile Minister Douglas Devananda, State Ministers Vijitha Berugoda and Piyal Nishantha as well as Parliamentarians Upul Mahendra Rajapaksa and Gevindu Kumaratunga joined the Committee via online technology.
Officials of the Ministry of Education and related institutions also participated in this committee meeting through online technology.
The Committee which met after a six months lapse was the first Ministerial Consultative Committee Meeting of the Ministry of Education held after the appointment of Dinesh Gunawardena as the Minister of Education, Parliament sources said.
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Action beyond dialogue is essential in addressing Green Financing and climate change. – Prime Minister

There have been numerous discussions and dialogues successfully conducted across various sectors, but it is now crucial to move beyond conversation and focus on strengthening the implementation. Such collaborative effort like GGGI initiates in leading Sri Lanka towards a resilient and sustainable finance.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while attending the Sri Lanka climate finance awareness session on advancing sustainable finance and carbon markets for climate action held today (30) at hotel Marriott Bonvoy in Colombo City Center.
The awareness session was organized by the Prime Minister’s Office with the collaboration of the ministry of Environment and Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) to create awareness of Green finance strategies leading to new initiatives for sustainable Sri Lanka.
Delivering the keynote address, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that this session is intended to support the line ministries in better understanding how these financing mechanisms work and how they could be leveraged to implement the sustainable development priorities.
Addressing the event, the Prime Minister further stated:
“Sri Lanka has developed and updated numerous environmental frameworks to address the growing challenge of climate change, that has become the current development challenge that continues to affect lives, livelihoods, and our overall trajectory as a nation.
In Sri Lanka, key sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, energy, tourism, and water are increasingly exposed to climate-related disruptions, threatening both livelihoods and macroeconomic stability. To prevent this trajectory, we must leverage a full spectrum of international climate finance instruments.
Sri Lanka has a solid policy foundation, political will, and the institutional capacity to lead on climate action. What we now need is the financial architecture to match this ambition. Hence, today’s session represents a step toward building shared awareness and technical capacity across the public sector”.
The Prime Minister emphasized that while numerous discussions and dialogues have been successfully conducted across various sectors, it is now crucial to move beyond conversation and focus on concrete implementation highlighting that meaningful results can only be achieved when ideas and plans are translated into action, and urged all stakeholders and officers to prioritize execution to bring about the positive changes the country needs.
The event was attended by secretary to the Prime Minister, G. P. Saputhanthri, representatives from the central bank, representatives of Ministries and GGGI institute.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
News
Pirivena and Bhikkhu education must be developed – PM

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that there is a contemporary need to develop the Pirivena and Bhikkhu education and that the government is seeking the revered guidance of Maha Sangha in that cause.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing the 125th anniversary celebrations of the Amarapura Ariyavansa Saddhamma Yukthika Nikaya on Tuesday (29) at the Sri Subodhi Rajarama Mulasthana Maha Vihara in Bombuwala, Kalutara.
During the event, the Prime Minister honored sixty-three venerable members of the Maha Sangha who had rendered their noble service to the Sasana and also conferred awards upon several distinguished lay benefactors in recognition of their contributions.
Delivering the keynote speech, the Prime Minister stated:
“There has always been a strong bond between Buddhism and society throughout history. Culture and social relations have been built alongside the Buddhist philosophy. The society we seek to establish as a nation must embody the Buddhist values of fairness, equality, and compassion. These virtues, as taught in the Buddhist philosophy, are ever relevant and alive.
Piriven and Bhikkhu education are currently facing numerous challenges, and considerable efforts are needed to address them. Thereby a substantial and concerted intervention is required.
A pertinent question arises as whether our Pirivena institutions are adequately preparing for the evolving needs of the world? There was once a belief in Europe that, with scientific advancement, religion would become redundant. Today, this view has been discredited. Along with material progress, spiritual development remains indispensable.
The knowledge, attitudes, and skills of our Bhikkhus must be enhanced to meet the emerging global challenges. A profound discussion on necessary reforms in Piriven and Bhikkhu education is therefore imperative.
Opportunities for Bhikkhus to study subjects such as mathematics, science, and modern languages are currently limited. Without exposure to contemporary disciplines, it is questionable whether one can successfully confront present-day challenges”.
The event, held under the patronage of the Venerable Egodamulle Amaramoli Mahanayake Thera, the Chief incumbent of the Amarapura Ariyavansa Saddhamma Yukthika Nikaya, was attended by members of the Maha Sangha, Minister of Mass Media and Health Mr. Nalinda Jayatissa, several Members of Parliament, and numerous lay devotees.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
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1,000-acre forest plantation project to be launched under “Clean Sri Lanka” programme

Under the “Clean Sri Lanka” programme, plans are underway to launch a 1,000-acre forest plantation project in collaboration with the private sector. This large-scale initiative is designed to operate under the Public-Private-People Partnership (4P) concept and a preliminary discussion on the project was held today (30) at the Presidential Secretariat.
The discussion focused on resolving technical aspects associated with the project and addressing the fundamental issues necessary for the land release.
The programme aims to implement several effective environmental projects in the coming year with the active participation of the private sector. These efforts are intended to safeguard the country’s biodiversity, forest cover and natural ecosystems, while also reinforcing the shared responsibility of the public, government and private sector in environmental conservation.
The discussion was chaired by Senior Additional Secretary to the President Russell Aponsu and Additional Secretary of the Clean Sri Lanka Programme S.P.C. Sugeeshwara, with the participation of senior officials from the Ministries of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation and Environment
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