President calls Cabinet Committee to develop and execute National Education Policy Framework (NEPF)
The Cabinet Committee to develop National Education Policy Framework (NEPF), understanding the importance of education in modern economic transformation, met yesterday (11) with President Ranil Wickremesinghe at the President’s Office.
The committee includes eight ministers, with Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Education Minister Dr. Susil Premjayantha among them.
The NEPF contains short-term and medium-term strategies to change the education sector. In the meeting, the committee discussed urgent measures needed to address immediate challenges in education.
A Bill to form a National Council for Teachers, to involve teachers in decision-making and improve teaching standards through a certification system, will be presented to the Council of Ministers and later to Parliament within a month. The decision has been finalized and will proceed for approval.
The aim of the council is to elevate teaching as a respected profession, enhance teacher skills, introduce a professional development framework, align teacher salaries with professional standards, and establish an appreciation system for teachers and principals.
Since 2000, eight subjects have been introduced in English medium in schools. However, currently, only 765 schools teach these subjects in English. It was proposed in the meeting to increase this number to 1,000 schools to accommodate 200,000 students in English medium by 2025.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe advised the recruitment of 2,500 new teachers to support this initiative. Additionally, 1,000 retired teachers and 1,100 graduates proficient in teaching English will be hired on a contract basis for three years. 400 College of Education teachers will also be recruited.
A decision was made to provide a Certificate of Completion to students, showing their skills and subjects beyond the national examination results, starting this year.
A Cabinet Committee, chaired by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, is working on a National Education Policy Framework to transform the education sector. The committee is focusing on urgent measures to address current challenges and is introducing a Bill to establish a National Council for Teachers to improve teacher professionalism. The goal is to increase the number of English medium schools to 1,000 by 2025. President Wickremesinghe has instructed the recruitment of new teachers to support this initiative. In addition, students will now receive a Certificate of Completion to showcase their skills and subjects learned throughout their education, effective this year.
