More secondary schools from next year

by Ananda KANNANGARA

Education Minister Bandula Gunawardane focused attention on establishing 1,000 secondary schools in the country from next January and said these schools will teach important subjects such as Information Technology, foreign languages, Science, Mathematics and aesthetic subjects.

According to statistics, most schoolchildren prefer to learn these subjects due to the local and foreign employment opportunities currently available in these fields.Minister Gunawardane told the Sunday Observer that at least 1,000 graduate teachers will be recruited for each subject to be appointed to these new secondary schools that will be established countrywide.

The interviews for teachers who have graduated in these subjects will be held after an examination on the 24th.

The Education Ministry will also direct the authorities of these secondary schools to develop the educational activities of junior schools in their areas.

Minister Gunawardane further said the mania of finding 'popular schools' by parents for their children on the belief that only those schools offer Science, IT, sports and other facilities will come to an end after the 1,000 secondary schools are established.

He mentioned that almost all schools in the country have the educational facilities enjoyed by children in the so-called popular schools.