Vocational training for students after O/L exams
The Cabinet this week granted approval for a proposal by Education Minister Susil Premajayantha for students to follow vocational training courses after completing the GCE (O/L) or A/L examination. Minister Premajayantha in his proposal said that the main objective was to retain the students in the education system while engaging them in a useful education system. He said additionally it would help to improve the skills of the students while keeping them away from anti-social activities. Under the programme, initially, 320 schools will be selected to follow a 3-4 month vocational training programme as a pilot project.
The students will be provided with facilities to improve IT skills as well as English, while the courses aimed at improving the vocational training will be covering five areas for which the syllabuses will be prepared by the National Institute of Education and the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission. Teachers of the respective schools, staff of State as well as non governmental organization run vocational training institutions, skills development officers attached to the Education Ministry will be used as resource persons; while zonal education directors, divisional education directors and principals will supervise the programmes.
The Education Minister has proposed that the course should be conducted between 2 pm to 4 pm on school days. Depending on the success of the pilot project, the programme will be implemented island-wide from next year, the Cabinet decided. An analysis of the 2021 O/L results was presented to the Cabinet. It showed that of 320,000 students at the O/L examination for the first time, 236,015 students (76.59%) had qualified to study for the A/L. 72,119 (23.41%) had failed to qualify for A/L. Also of the number who enlisted in State-run vocational training institutes in 2021, about 52 per cent did not have A/L qualifications. The Minister pointed out that there was a need to provide such vocational training in order to ensure that students receive 13 years of continuous education.
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