Regulating English medium education

Most of your schools must be providing you with the facility to study in the English medium, if you prefer to do so.

Since English medium education was re-introduced a few years ago, it has been attracting a lot of bouquets and brickbats; the latter mostly due to the lack of competent and experienced teachers to conduct teaching in English.

Now the Ministry of Education has taken initiatives to regulate the English education system in government schools; the project aims to upgrade the standard of English medium education so that students are up to date with modern educational trends in the world.

This project has seen the Ministry conducting a training programme for 450 teachers who are capable of teaching all subjects in the English medium. There are believed to be around 450 government schools where, from Grades Six to Eleven, all subjects are taught in English.

The National Education Policy in Sri Lanka declares that primary education should definitely be carried out in the national languages.

Therefore, primary education is provided in Sinhala or Tamil, while English medium education is available from Grade Six.The Ministry is also planning to increase the number of schools which are capable of conducting English medium classes.

The students’ eagerness to learn in English and the teachers’ availability and capability to teach all subjects in English will be considered by the Ministry when selecting schools for this project.

The Education Ministry has also taken steps to increase the number of schools which can conduct Advanced Level classes in English. The Ministry has already selected 50 schools in this category and is training teachers.

Designing greeting cards, his forte

by Ananda Kannangara

Fourteen-year-old Ishara Shehan Premaratne, a student of Gurukula Vidyalaya, Kelaniya, was recently honoured by his school principal and staff for his effort to produce colourful Vesak and Poson greeting cards.

Shehan started his creative career at the age of seven, by presenting pictures for art exhibitions and competitions conducted by his school, Gurukula Vidyalaya.

He also made greeting cards for local and foreign organisations. He first won an award from the then Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and present President Mahinda Rajapaksa for his painting titled ‘A tomorrow for our coral reefs’. It was designed for a competition conducted by the World Conservation Union-Sri Lanka.

He was also a winner at the State Children’s Art Festivals, conducted by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs in 2007 and 2008.

He also won the first prize of the ‘Pansilu Nethkam’ art exhibition, conducted by his school at the Colombo Art Gallery in 2006.

Among the other prizes won by Shehan are those for World Environment Day, conducted by the Coastal Resources Management in Sri Lanka in 2005 and for Elimination of dengue menace, conducted by the Gampaha Health Service Division in 2006.

“Making greeting cards for religious and other festivals is my main hobby; during my leisure, I draw sceneries as well as portraits of important personalities,” he said. Shehan also makes ornaments from paper pulp.

He said his Dhamma School teacher Ven. Pore Dammaratne Thera and school Principal Anil Abegunawardane had helped him immensely to develop his talents.

Shehan also said he was grateful to his parents Lasantha and Pushpakanthi Premaratne and his grandfather Lionel Premaratne for the support and encouragement he had been given.

27 new sites for World Heritage List
 

The World Heritage Committee finished inscribing new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List with the addition of 27 cultural and natural sites.

During the session, the 21-member committee added two new sites - the Baha’i Holy Places in Haifa and Western Galilee (Israel) and Chief Roi Mata’s Domain in Vanuatu - to the heritage list.

One extension was also decided by the Committee, which inscribed the Historic Centres of Berat and Gjirokastra (Albania). This represents the addition of the city centre of Berat to that of Gjirokastra, which was inscribed in 2005.

The Baha’i Holy Places in Haifa and Western Galilee are inscribed for the testimony they provide to the Baha’i’s strong tradition of pilgrimage and for their profound meaning for the faith. The property numbers 26 buildings, monuments and sites at 11 locations in Acre and Haifa, associated with the founders of the faith.

Chief Roi Mata’s Domain is the first site to be inscribed in Vanuatu. It consists of three early 17th Century AD sites on the islands of Efate, Lelepa and Artok associated with the life and death of the last paramount chief, or Roi Mata, of what is now Central Vanuatu.

The latest addition bring the number of this year’s new world heritage sites to 27. The World Heritage Committee, which has so far examined a total of 43 cultural and natural sites, approved four and 21 new heritage sites respectively during the latest session.

Among them are Tulou, the unique residential architecture of Fujian Province, and Mount Sanqingshan National Park in Jiangxi Province in China.

As of now, the UNESCO has 878 properties of “outstanding universal value” on its World Heritage List. The 32nd session of the World Heritage Committee opened on July 3 in Quebec City and lasted until July 10.

– Xinhua

Upgrading Kalutara city

Salutary is a bustling township with all modern facilities despite it being one of the sacred areas in our country.

There are plans for accelerated development of the city utilising the latest technologies available in the market, so that it can be brought on par with the Colombo city.

Under the accelerated Kalutara development project, which is expected to cost a total of Rs. 4,000 million, the sacred area will be developed alongside residential apartments, a shopping complex, courts complex, police station, bus halt, hotel, hospital complex and playground.

Upon completion of this development project, the historical Kalutara city is expected to be converted into one of the most beautiful cities in the region.
 

Famous murals to get face-lift

The Gothami Vihara in Colombo is famous for its three-dimensional Buddhist murals. These murals have been a subject of study and comment for the GCE Advanced Level examination for many years. The well-known site, with a history spanning over 70 years, is now to be rehabilitated under a conservation programme launched by the Tourism Ministry.

Funds worth Rs. 1.5 million have already been allocated by the Ministry towards the first phase of this project which is estimated to cost a total of Rs. 7 million.

The first stage would involve the repainting of the murals; veteran artist Ananda Colombage has been contracted to carry out this part of the project. A booklet providing information on the temple and murals has been planned too, and is expected to greatly benefit students who study in the relevant streams.

The site is also expected to attract more visitors, both local and foreign, after these projects are carried out.