Peradeniya Teacher Training Institute to be upgraded

Chaminda PERERA

Education Minister Susil Premajayantha yesterday said the Peradeniya Teacher Training Institute will be upgraded into a Centre of Excellence in English enabling it to accommodate more teachers to have better English language training.

The Minister was speaking at the awards ceremony of English Teacher Training initiative at the Education Ministry auditorium.

This event is part of the Council for Business with Britain's (CBB) English Teacher Training Program carried out in collaboration with the Education Ministry and managed by British Council with HSBC as the principal funder.

British Deputy High Commissioner Mark Gooding, CBB Chairman Anil Wijesinghe, British Council Country Director Gill Westaway, and Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Sri Lanka and the Maldives Nick Nicolaou also spoke.

"The Ministry recognised the University of Cambridge Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT) in providing international valid qualification to the teachers," the Minister said.

The Minister said the student of Ketakara Kanishta Vidyalaya who delivered the vote of thanks at a ceremony to declare year 2009 as the Year of English and IT, shows the keenness of rural students to learn English.

"The President declared 2009 as the Year of English and IT. This is evident that the Government is keen in improving the English and IT education," the Minister said.

The Minister thanked CBB and HSBC for identifying the particular needs in the Sri Lankan education systems and sponsoring the project.

He sought more assistance from the business community to continue this type of project uninterrupted.

This event celebrates 150 teachers attached to 25 Regional English Support Centres (RESC) across the island receiving their University of Cambridge Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT) certificates. The TKT distance learning course helps teachers understand different methodologies for teaching.