• Pushes for quality pvt. edu. oppos.

The main Parliamentary opposition Party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) proposed that the education system should be transformed into an English-centred education system while enhancing opportunities in quality private education institutions.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday (5), the Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa said that the education system must be modernised in a way which could cater to the requirements of new global trends, adding that this exercise should not be hampered with traditional concepts. He also said that measures should be taken to upgrade the quality of the private education institutions instead of refusing them by claiming that such institutions would destroy the country’s free education system. 

Premadasa also said that many children whose parents are protesting against the establishment of private education institutions, study in both domestic and foreign private universities, and that therefore, such political groups with double standards should not be allowed to deprive someone’s opportunity to obtain a degree. He further said that the education policies must focus on how to transform the education system into an English-centred education system in order to produce a generation which can deal with the new global trends. 

“We believe that Sinhala and other languages must be given priority but we should focus much on English language education since it is widely regarded as an international language. It does not mean that we are going to make English the only language, but we have to enhance the opportunities to learn English,” he said. 

In response to Premadasa, Minister of Education, attorney Dr. Susil Premajayantha said that the Ministry of Education has already commenced certain programmes to enhance the English language proficiency of students and teachers. He said that the Ministry recently concluded the first programme to teach oral English for primary teachers. He said that there are some practical issues in doing that even though the proposal is very progressive, and noted therefore that such policies must be implemented gradually.