Education reforms to include skills/psychometric tests
Skills/Psychometric tests will be introduced for Grade 9 students from 2029 onwards, under the education sector reforms to be introduced by the government. This tests will include assessment on literacy skills, numeracy skills and will be a career interest test to assess the tendency to pursue further studies in a specific field, Deputy Minister of Education Madura Seneviratne said.
The tests will guide students to areas in which their strengths lie and ensure they follow a career path which will be beneficial to them, he said. This will be part of the government’s education sector reforms. The main objectives are to enhance curriculum relevance and quality, improve learning outcomes, increase enrolment in science and technology streams, promote Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and citizenship education, foster 21st century skills, ensure equity and inclusivity, strengthen school-community relationships, align with national educational goals and promote an entrepreneurial mind-set. Implementation of curriculum reforms from 2026 for Grades 1 and 6 will include classroom periods of 50 minutes with total school time extended by 30 minutes.
The Educator Service Lecturers currently provide their services in Colleges of Education, Teacher Training Colleges and at centres for Professional Development for Teachers across the country. The lecturers play a key role in training teachers who are new recruits as well those in service. Mr Sawanathilaka pointed out that former Education Ministers Susil Premajayantha and Bandula Gunawardena were keen in resolving the issue, but it was the officials who were regularly blocking their efforts, by drafting the cabinet papers with errors, so that they get rejected.
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