Jounior Observer | Sunday Observer.lk

The Education Department will commence comprehensive English Speaking and listening lessons for over 500,000 schoolchildren and private candidates who sit for the GCE (Ordinary Level) Examination from December 2012.

Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena told the Junior Observer that the main objective of this programme is to improve the speaking, listening and understanding skills of the English language of the younger generation in the country.

He said that according to statistics, many of today's children will have to face lots of obstacles without a proper knowledge of the English Language as well as a knowledge of Information Technology (IT).

The Minister said over 60 per cent of the teachers who are attached to national schools and Provincial schools have already been given training in communicative English.

"The main task of these teachers is to prepare their students for the English listening and speaking examinations commencing in the country for the first time from 2012,".The National Evaluation and Testing Service (NETS) of the Department of Examinations has planned to evaluate students' skills through the school based Assessment system.

Meanwhile, the Examination Department recently launched a programme under the theme "Public Examination for Certificate in English" for the benefit of school drop-outs, public servants, teachers, employees and also job seekers. Under this programme the Education Department expects to initiate a national programme to popularise the English language throughout the country, commencing next year.

The Chinese proletarian leaders led by Chairman Mao Zedong founded the People's Republic of China in 1949. The 61st anniversary of that historical event will be celebrated by one fourth of the global population on October 1, 2010. Undoubtedly it is a great day for the Chinese community. Under the existing international scenario this event is of vast importance and significance to the entire world. Even small school children today know how important our relations with China is in the present day.

The Sri Lanka-China Society which celebrates the Chinese National Day in a meaningful manner, will hold an Open Inter-school Essays Competition as part of the celebration programme this year. This competition will be conducted in Sinhala, Tamil and English. In each contest the first three winners will receive cash prizes of Rs. 10,000, Rs. 7,500 and 5,000. In addition to these three prizes, there will be five consolation prizes of Rs. 1,000 each.

The Sri Lanka-China Society has set the following guidelines for this competition.

1. Any student who has been reading for GCE O/L, GCE A/L by the month of August 2010 may participate in this competition.

4. The student competitor must declare in writing that the essay is written by the applicant. The private address of the competitor must be given.

5. A certificate signed by the principal of the school stating that the competitor is a student of the school by August 2010 and that the essay was written by the competitor should be attached.

6. The essay for this competition must be sent under registered cover to the following address on or before Friday, August 27, 2010.

7. All the prizes will be given away at a public meeting which will be held at the BMICH in the last week of September 2010.

8. Any decision made by the Sri Lanka-China Society regarding this competition will be final.

All students in the GCE O/L and A/L irrespective of age are invited to take part in this competition.


Winners of January 2010 with U.S. Embassy officials. From Left to right: Sina Jones, Public Diplomacy Associate, Shafura Akram Thaha, Sahlah Mahir, H.M. Ganga N. Bandara, Jinendhri Upeshala Udukalage, Buddhi Dinethri Gunasekara, B.M. Prineetha Bandaranayake, Hasini Neelika Kithulgoda, Devin Yasath Serasinghe, Chanindu Ranatunga and Jeff Anderson, Public Affairs Officer.	Winners of December 2009 with U.S. Embassy officials. From Left to right: Sina Jones, Public Diplomacy Associate, Yeshmanthi Ekanayake, Dulan Rasintha, K. Tharushi Deepana S. De Silva, Shihaara Safeeq Khan, Fathima Mahmooda Rafeel, Yasodhara Kariyawasam, Fathima Sameera, Nafla Naleer and Jeff Anderson, Public Affairs Officer.