Tamil medium education to be enhanced in NE
VAVUNIYA special correspondent
THE Education Development Institute of North East (EDINE) was
inaugurated to develop Tamil medium education in the northeast province,
education sources said. Professor C. Mohanathas, Vice Chancellor of the
Jaffna University, unveiled the nameboard of the office and R.
Thilakalingam, from North East Provincial Education Ministry, declared
open the office.
Former Deputy Director of Education, K. Saravanapavan, was appointed
as the Co-ordinating Officer of the EDINE, sources said.
Former secretary to the North East Provincial Education Ministry
Sundaram Divakalala made the introductory address, outlining the
objectives of the EDINE to act as a parallel entity to the Sri Lanka's
National Institute of Education (NIE) sources said.
According to education officials, objectives of the new Education
Institute are: To develop appropriate and innovative strategies to
strengthen curriculum designing, curriculum development, and curriculum
delivery.
To enhance and support, and promote the quality and professional
competence of all those involved in teaching-learning processes.
To monitor and evaluate the functions of education system in order to
suggest appropriate measures to promote equity, equality and excellence.
To initiate and promote research activities by optimally utilising
resources with to achieve sustainable development.
To foster healthy linkages with similar national, regional and
international organisations and institutions.
To support and strengthen the activities and programmes of the
tertiary education institution to suit the needs of the North East
Province, and To undertake relevant intervention whenever and wherever
necessary to promote and develop education in the NEP.
Currently the Education Ministry has entrusted NIE with preparing
Tamil medium textbooks and the NIE does so by translating Sinhala medium
textbooks. This has led to serious shortcomings in preparing standard
Tamil medium textbooks.
Tamil education officials often accuse the NIE of distorting the
history of the Sri Lanka and Tamil community in Tamil text books.
The NIE also failed to set up a separate unit to prepare Tamil medium
textbooks ignoring repeated requests made by Tamil educationists and
trade unions, NIE's detractors say.
Tamil teacher trade unions and Tamil educationists for the last
several years have been accusing the NIE, which is dominated by
Sinhalese educationists, for ignoring the development of Tamil medium
education in Sri Lanka especially in the Tamil dominated northeast
province, sources said. |