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2009 - Year of English and Information Technology

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will formally declare 2009 as the Year of English and Information Technology today launching a major initiative of the Government to help Sri Lanka meet the demands of the 21st Century in skills and capabilities, states a Presidential Secretariat Media Release.

The Year of English and IT is launched in keeping with a concept of President Rajapaksa to make English available to the widest sections of the people as a life skill, together with the knowledge of IT that will open many opportunities to both school leavers and those already in employment.

The guest speaker at the ceremonial launch at the Presidential Secretariat will be Mr. Narayana Murthy. Chairman and Chief Mentor, Infosys Technologies ltd., India, who is also an advisor on IT to many other countries.

Groundwork for the Year of English and IT was laid with the appointment of the Presidential Task Force on English and IT in August last year chaired by Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama.

The initial work done includes the training of the first batch of 40 English teachers in the English and Foreign Languages University of Hyderabad, India. There will be several other batches of teachers to follow, who will return with the skills needed to Train the Trainers in English teaching in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka has 21,984 English teaches in schools in the State and private sectors, and 3027 private tutoring institutes teaching English as a subject. However the knowledge of English provided through this is wholly inadequate for both spoken and written communication in English.

All this has meant the waste of a large amount of expenditure both by the State, individuals and families for the teaching of English to our youth.

The Year of English and IT Will lay emphasis on new methods of teaching English, with a more modern outlook and ideology on English teaching and learning, which have proved successful in countries such as India.

This will help meet the needs of the employment markets both local and abroad, and also serve the needs of development in the country.

Similarly, there will be special initiatives and programs to widen the knowledge and access to IT among school leavers, those recently employed and those in middle levels of employment who need new skills for work in environments that are increasingly IT dominant. Special emphasis will be given to train Sri Lankans for the needs of the vastly expanding outsourcing industry in IT, worldwide.

The Education Ministry and the Science and Technology Ministry as the line ministries directly associated with the advance of English education and the advance of IT knowledge will play key roles in the activities of the Year of English and IT.

They will have special programs worked out in consultation with the Presidential Task Force for the rapid expansion of English knowledge through the new ideology and techniques of teaching and learning and for the new empowerment of the sections of society needing knowledge and skills in IT.

Sri Lanka will work very closely with India in these activities, learning from and sharing in the considerable knowledge gained by India in both the dissemination of English knowledge and IT education and skills training.

The Government hopes to provide employment to 50,000 persons in work that needs English and IT in the first phase of the Year of English and IT.

The progress of work will be monitored by the Presidential Task Force, and necessary changes in emphasis, strategy and direction as well as investment, will be done based on the experience gained.

The ceremonial launch of the Year of English and IT at the Presidential Secretariat will include the issue of a special stamp and First Day Cover, the launch of a dedicated website for the program, and pledges from Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Corporate Sector to assist and expand the program.

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