Features
Shortage of trained teachers in secondary schools
by Anton Peiris, Emeritus Coordinator, International Baccalaureate, Switzerland
(Reduce O / Level STRESS continued)
1. The shortage of Trained Science Teachers
The National Curriculum Framework document published by our National Institute of Education makes the following observation:
There is a shortage of qualified STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) teachers and a deployment practice skewed towards urban schools, making it difficult for non-urban students to access STEM streams. As a result, the government’s efforts to increase STEM access in provincial and rural areas by providing additional classrooms and laboratories have not led to the intended results. Secondary school enrolment in rural areas still remains skewed towards arts subjects. It is through science education the children get the ability to understand the world around them in a realistic way.
Lower scores in science discourage students. The A Level pass rate in Bioscience (54%) and Physical science (52%) was clearly lower than in the Arts stream (66%).
Limited access to STEM courses pushes secondary students into the arts stream to boost their chances of entering the university. In 2018, arts, law, management, and commerce accounted for 52 % of the total undergraduate enrolments, while science, engineering, architecture, and computer science accounted for only 34%.
There is a need to establish more Teacher Training Colleges to train Science teachers. Sri Lanka cannot and should not do this alone. We need the help of countries like England, Australia and Canada, to set up a couple of Teacher Training Colleges and to train our science teachers. We need the foreign professors to provide that bit of extra quality and the catalytic effect. They will equip the laboratories with modern equipment for our trainees.
In some countries, a trained science teacher (whose basic qualification is Passes in at least two A / L science subjects) is paid a salary which is only slightly lower than that of a university graduate in the teaching profession. The reasons are as follows: (i) a trained science teacher is professionally qualified, a university graduate has no professional qualification. (ii) the importance of teaching science as a compulsory subject for O/ L exams and (iii) because the work of a science teacher is harder than the work of an arts teacher. A science teacher has to teach not only the theory in the classroom but also the practical work in the laboratory.
The government should raise the salaries of trained science teachers, but given the dire economic situation that the country is now facing, it is unrealistic to expect any salary increase. Passes in A / L science subjects (not O/ L qualifications) should be the entry qualification for training. Placing the newly trained science teachers (who have the A / L qualifications) on step 3 of their salary scale (instead of step 1), i.e. giving them two increments at the beginning of their teaching career would be an incentive and a fair interim solution.
In order to overcome the shortage of A/L science teachers in provincial and rural schools, there should be incentives for science graduates to enter the teaching profession. They should be encouraged to follow the one-year Diploma in Education course immediately after getting their B.Sc. degree. They should be paid a salary during this year of postgraduate training. After five years of teaching, they should get the same salary as that of an Administrative Officer in government service or a Staff Officer in a Bank. In Switzerland, an academically and professionally qualified secondary school teacher with five years of teaching experience gets the same salary as that of a university lecturer.
2. The shortage of Trained English Teachers
In an article titled ‘The Question of English ( The Island 06 June ), Prof. Nicola Perera (Department of English Language Teaching, Faculty of Arts, University of Colombo ) has stated the following :
In the first few weeks of class, the undergraduates speak of the social inequalities of free education in Sri Lanka. ” We never had an English teacher at all or only intermittently. There weren’t enough textbooks to go around. The English teacher seemed befuddled; read out the textbook; came to class and didn’t teach; engaged in other work”.
The students were reliant on the classroom to learn a language they did not speak at home. They came to university from under-resourced schools that had too few English teachers, poorly trained and poorly paid.
The National Curriculum Framework document published by our National Institute of Education states that English Language education should have the following objectives:
‘’ Students to be taught to speak well and to convey ideas confidently, to have a good vocabulary, to ask questions and to reason, i.e. to gain command over the English language in terms of reading, writing and spoken language ‘’.
Very good, but this cannot happen in many secondary schools in provincial and rural areas due to the shortage of Trained English Teachers, text books, etc.
There is a need to establish a few more teacher training colleges to train English teachers. Sri Lanka cannot and should not do this alone. We need the help of countries like the U.K. and Australia.
In Sri Lanka, the salaries of teachers are low. It is one reason why qualified people are not attracted to the teaching profession. It is unrealistic to expect any salary increases for trained teachers. Given the pathetic situation that exists in the teaching of English in provincial and rural schools, other avenues should be explored in order to improve the quality of teaching. For example, make it a three-year training course instead of two years and pay the trainees a salary during their third year of training. The first year should be an intensive course in learning English to the exclusion of everything else, i.e. to gain command over the English language in terms of reading, writing, spoken language and by taking part in drama, debating, etc. During the second and third years of training it should be the usual psychology, pedagogy, methodology, etc,. plus further training in English, including a bit of English Literature. That will ensure the delivery of properly trained English teachers to our provincial and rural schools.
This is the last instalment of my article and I take this opportunity to touch on one peripheral matter (TVET) and to recap on a couple of other matters.
A recent newspaper article on TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) stated that the result of providing a trained and fully job prepared skilled worker to the market is not yet in place. The inadequacies of the TVET system and some of their problems are due to the shortage of suitable instructors, obsolete training equipment and machinery and lack of practical input to develop the curriculum. This is another area in which Sri Lanka needs foreign experts to revamp the curriculum, to install modern equipment and machinery and to run our existing TVET schools. We need the help of countries like Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and Canada to set up a couple of technical training schools and to procure foreign experts to train our instructors and our secondary school leavers.
About 70 years ago, in the 1950 s, some of my schoolmates in Moratuwa entered the Harding Institute in Gal Oya Development Board to be trained as Surveyors. Mr. Harding and his British assistants not only trained them to become Surveyors but also gave them some practical training in Civil Engineering. Some of these graduates of the Harding Institute went on to clear forests in Malaysia and build Airstrips and Airports and to build roads in Labrador (frozen Northern Canada). The Harding Institute in Gal Oya was established by our first Prime Minister, D.S. Senanayake. Now you know one reason why I keep saying that we need a few foreign experts to run a couple of our Teacher Training and TVET schools.
1. In the first instalment of my article (Reduce O/ Level STRESS ) published on 03 rd May, I have stated that, for students who have very little ability in mathematics and also for others who do not need this subject for their future studies, an easier option called O / Level Maths Studies Course and an O/ Level Maths Studies Exam should be introduced.
Cambridge Examinations board in the UK has solved this problem by having an extended exam for those who need mathematics for their future studies and a Core Exam for the others.
The Syllabus outline that I have proposed for O / L Maths Studies has the advantage that it includes a bit of easy Statistics and Probability. e.g. Pie Charts, Histograms, Standard Deviation, Permutations and Combinations, addition and multiplication of Probabilities, use of the simple Z-Score formula and the coefficient of Rank Correlation formula. These topics sharpen the students’ ability to do critical, analytical and logical thinking.
2. In the third instalment of my article (A Solution to the problem of extra heavy school bags ) published on 17 th May, I have suggested the installation of Lockers, one for each student. One reader has suggested that, because some schools lack the additional space to keep the Lockers, classroom desks should be made with a lockable compartment underneath the writing surface to store the text books. It is a good temporary solution. The disadvantages of that method are as follows: (i) It reduces the amount of leg-room under the desk and students will not be able to stretch their legs occasionally and (ii) It will be difficult to move or displace such heavy desks.
(The writer has taught GCE O/L, A/L and IB mathematics and physics for 45 years in Sri Lanka, Kenya and Switzerland.)
With reports emerging that India has attacked some ‘sites’ in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, the question could be posed whether the stage has just been set for yet another costly India-Pakistan military conflict. Sensible opinion in South Asia could only hope that wise counsel would sooner rather than later come to prevail on both sides of the divide and that they would draw back from the brink of full-scale war.
The states concerned ought to know fully well the possible wide-ranging weighty consequences of another regional conflict. It should be plain to see that it would benefit none in the two theatres of confrontation, most particularly the relevant publics or the ‘Silent Majority’.
In fact, in connection with the mentioned initial military attacks, the Pakistani side has gone on record that some civilian lives have been lost. Such losses could burgeon in the event of full scale hostilities. These costs could of course be staggering and unimaginable in the event the nuclear option is resorted to by the sides, going forward.
Accordingly, the hope of the peace-loving world-wide is likely to be that India and Pakistan would give negotiations a chance and resolve their differences peacefully. It would be in the best interests of the world for the champions of peace to join their voices to that of UN chief Antonio Guterres and call on the sides to negotiate an end to their differences.
The utter helplessness and misery of the people of the Gaza ought to drive home afresh the horrors of war. Currently the news is that the Gazans are literally starving to death. Food and other essentials provided by UN agencies are reportedly being prevented by Israel from getting to the hapless people of Gaza. So dire is their situation that concerned quarters are calling on the compassionate worldwide to provide the Gazans with food, water and other essentials voluntarily. This SOS would need to be heeded forthwith.
Accordingly, it could be inferred that most formal arrangements, including those that are generally under the purview of the UN, geared to providing emergency humanitarian assistance to the needy, have, for all intents and purposes, been rendered ineffective in the Gaza. The UN cannot be faulted for this state of things; rather, Israel should be held accountable in the main for it.
The matter of accountability is central to the dramatic slide into lawlessness the world has been experiencing over the past few decades. As could be seen, International Law is no longer fully applicable in the conflict and war zones of the world because it is not being adhered to by many state and non-state aggressors. That the UN is hapless in the face of such lawlessness is plain to see.
We have of course the Middle East wherein International Law has fallen silent for quite a while. How could it be otherwise, when Israeli aggressions are being winked at by the US, for which the policy of backing Israel is almost sacrosanct?
Moreover, under President Donald Trump, it is difficult to see the US changing policy course on the Middle East. Trump made vague promises of bringing peace to the region in the run-up to his reelection but has done nothing concrete by way of peace-making. Consequently, complete lawlessness prevails in the Middle East. US policy towards Israel counts as another example of how the self- interest of US central administrations blinds them to their international obligations, in this case Middle East peace.
However, the commentator could be criticized as being biased if he holds only Israel responsible for what has befallen the Middle East. It has been the position of this columnist that Israel’s security needs should be taken cognizance of by its state and non-state adversaries in the Middle East and acted upon if the basis is to be laid for a durable Middle East peace. Inasmuch as Palestinian statehood must be guaranteed, the same should be seen as applicable to Israel. The latter too enjoys the right to live in a secure state of its own, unopposed by its neighbours.
The Ukraine of today is also sad testimony to the ill consequences of powerful, aggressor states wantonly disregarding International Law and its obligations. Nothing could justify Russia in invading Ukraine and subjecting it to a condition of Longsuffering. Clearly, Ukraine’s sovereignty has been violated and such excesses go to the heart of the current state of ‘International Disorder’. Of course the same stricture applies to the US in relation to its military misadventures in Afghanistan and Iraq, to name just two such modern examples.
There is no ducking the fact, then, that civilian publics in the mentioned theatres of war and outside, are being subjected to the worst suffering as a consequence of the big powers’ self-aggrandizement schemes and military misadventures. Longsuffering becomes the tragic lot of the people who have nothing to do with such unbridled power ambitions.
One would not be exaggerating the case if he states that civilian publics count for almost nothing in the present ‘International Disorder’. Increasingly it is becoming evident that from the viewpoint of the big powers and authoritarian governments the people are of little or no importance. Considering that self-aggrandizement is of the paramount interest for the former the public interest is coming to be seen as inconsequential.
Consequently, not much of a case could be made currently for the once almost reverentially spoken of ‘Social Contract’. For, the public interest does not count for much in the scrambles for power among the major powers who are seen at the popular level as the principal history-makers.
It is in view of the above that much is expected of India. Today the latter is a ‘Swing State’ of the first importance. Besides being a major democracy, it is one of the world’s principal economic and military powers. It possesses abundant potential to help to put things right in international politics. If there is one state in Asia that could help in restoring respect for International Law, it is India.
Considering the above, India, one believes, is obliged to bear the responsibility of keeping South Asia free of any more long-running, wasting wars that could aggravate the material hardships and socio-economic blights of the region. Thus, India would need to consider it imperative to negotiating peace with Pakistan.
Under the Global-Ise Australia Advanced Sports Development Programme, a delegation of 15 swimmers from Lyceum International School, Wattala, had the remarkable opportunity to train and experience high-performance sports development in Melbourne, Australia.
The 10-day programme was carefully curated to offer intensive training, educational exposure, and cultural experiences for the young athletes.
The swimmers underwent specialised training through Swimming Victoria’s elite programme, held at some of Melbourne’s premier aquatic facilities.
Visit to Victorian Parliament
Each day began as early as 5:00 a.m. and continued until 7:00 p.m., ensuring a rigorous and enriching schedule that mirrored the standards of international competitive swimming.
Beyond training, the programme offered a wide array of experiences to broaden the students’ horizons.
Morning training
The tour group explored iconic landmarks such as the Victorian Parliament and the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), and enjoyed shopping at Chadstone – The Fashion Capital. They also experienced the natural beauty of Victoria with visits to Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery, and Cardinia Reservoir Park, where they observed kangaroos in their natural habitat.
An academic highlight of the tour was the group’s exclusive visits to three of Australia’s leading universities: the University of Melbourne, Monash University, and Deakin University. These visits aimed to inspire students and showcase the vast educational opportunities available in Australia.
Checking out the scene at Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery
As part of the cultural immersion, Global-Ise hosted a traditional Australian BBQ at the Tim Neville Arboretum in Ferntree Gully. The students also enjoyed a variety of diverse culinary experiences each evening, further enriching their understanding of local and international food cultures.
The tour concluded with a celebratory dinner at the Spicy Wicket Restaurant, where each participant received a presentation in recognition of their involvement.
Enjoying an Aussie BBQ for lunch
The evening was made especially memorable by the presence of Pradeepa Saram, Consul General of Sri Lanka in Victoria.
Global-Ise Management—Ken Jacobs, Johann Jayasinha, and Dr Luckmika Perera (Consultant from the University of Melbourne)—did a magnificent job in planning and the execution of the advanced sports programme.
Coaches from Sri Lanka presenting a plaque to Global-Ise Management team
Ken Jacobs (centre), Johann Jayasinha, and Dr Luckmika Perera (on the right
Hi! How’s the beauty scene keeping with you?
Phew, this heat is awful but there is nothing that we can do about it.
However, there are ways and means to take care of your skin and I will do my best to help you in every way I can.
Well, this week, let’s go for a Bright, Smooth Skin.
Gram flour (also known as besan) is a traditional skincare ingredient known for its:
* Natural exfoliating properties.
* Ability to absorb excess oil.
* Gentle brightening and tan-removal effects.
* Suitability for all skin types, especially oily and acne-prone skin.
You will need 01–02 tablespoons gram flour (besan) and rose water, or raw milk, to make a paste.
You could add the following two as optional add-ins: A pinch of turmeric (for extra glow), and a few drops of lemon juice (for oily skin and pigmentation)
Add the gram flour to a small bowl and mix in the rose water (for oily/sensitive skin) or raw milk (for dry skin) slowly.
Stir well to make a smooth, spreadable paste—not too thick, not too runny.
Now apply this mixture, evenly, to your damp face and neck, and let it sit for 5–10 minutes (don’t let it dry completely if you have dry skin).
Gently massage in circular motions using wet fingers—this helps exfoliate.
Rinse off with lukewarm water, and then pat your skin dry.
Use it 02–03 times a week for best results.
Skin Benefits:
* Removes dirt, sweat, and oil without stripping natural moisture.
* Gently exfoliates dead skin cells, revealing smoother skin.
* Brightens the complexion and fades mild tanning.
* Helps clear clogged pores and reduce pimples.
* Leaves skin fresh and glowing—perfect for humid climates.
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